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Planning Beyond the Status-Quo

Image: Gabinetona (Creative Commons License)

Feminism and insurgency at the Belo Horizonte city council during the approval of the city master plan

In a new book chapter by doctoral researcher Higor Carvalho (GEDT) and Brazilian activist Mariana Belmont, the authors address a provocative question: how to employ an insurgent urban planner amidst the trend of neoliberal urbanism worldwide? Inspired by the work of Professor Faranak Miraftab, who wrote the preface, the book organised by Roberto Rocco and Gabriel Silvestre aims to reframe the issue by highlighting the importance of insurgent urbanism practices. These practices, characterised by grassroots, bottom-up approaches to urban planning, are seen as a way to critically position ourselves as urban planners and citizens in our daily lives.

The chapter offers a remarkable narrative of resilience and determination, chronicling the experiences of city councilwomen in Belo Horizonte, the 6th largest city in Brazil. These women have revolutionised legislative work by introducing the concept of collective mandates guided by gender issues and the right to the city despite facing institutional challenges and counter-resistance from real estate developers and property owners. Their strategies, rooted in community engagement and resistance, have paved the way for an inclusive and progressive Master Plan.

The text will appeal to those engaged in Global South urbanisms, learning from the South methodologies, gender policies and struggles, the right to the city, and participatory planning. The book is available in both paper and PDF formats at the UNIGE's Institute for Environmental Sciences (ISE) library. You can also access Higor and Mariana's , and the  (via JSTOR).