Verticalização urbana em São Luís: produção urbana do capital, marco regulatório e espaço construído

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the unfolding of the verticalization process in São Luís–MA from historical, political, institutional, and economic perspectives. The study is grounded in the central hypothesis that verticalization in São Luís is neither a neutral phenomenon nor merely the result of demographic transformations or technological innovations; rather, it constitutes a strategy of land valorization and capitalist accumulation that shapes urban space according to the interests of dominant classes. The research achieved its objectives by understanding verticalization as an instrument of capitalist urban production, highlighting its global origins and dissemination. The process is interpreted as a manifestation of political and economic forces, thus transcending the purely technical dimension of construction. In addressing the regulatory framework, the study examined the historical development of urban legislation (Master Plans and Zoning Laws of 1975, 1981, 1992, 2006, and 2023), demonstrating how the legal apparatus has been progressively flexibilized to legitimize and promote selective verticalization in areas of high interest to real estate capital. An evaluation of the built environment was also conducted. A detailed typomorphological study was carried out in the area with the highest concentration of vertical development in the city. The analysis reveals that the resulting urban form—characterized by homogeneous towers, large setbacks, privatized ground floors, and high-density gated enclaves—constitutes a model of distinction and socio-spatial segregation. The study demonstrates that the vertical landscape in São Luís is established as a symbol of power, resulting in the commodification of urban land and the fragmentation of the urban fabric. Urban legislation operates as the primary agent in shaping the built environment, serving as an instrument aligned with the interests of hegemonic urban ideologies and dominant social classes. This research contributes to the debate by uncovering the mechanisms through which the city is hierarchized, offering insights for urban planning aimed at fostering a less unequal metropolis. In its materiality, verticalization in São Luís emerges as a visible expression of the contradiction between the discourse of progress and the reproduction of structural inequalities