Resumo

The COVID-19 has highlighted the demand for urbanization of precarious settlements. The debate regarding slum upgrading is inserted in a global context. Research has been conducted, although few presented an integrated approach. The new urbanism paradigm defends, while recognizing the intervention's unique multi-sector and complexity, that a better approach is the rehabilitation of affected areas. The shortage of public budget, as well as public service inefficiencies, are the biggest challenges to finance sustainable urbanization. An alternative way to build public facilities are PPPs.

This paper aims to investigate if it is possible to structure Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) projects for Slum Upgrading (SU) and if it is an effective governance approach, targeting a more efficient, in terms of public funding, and socially friendly implementation. Therefore, the goal of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the topic within the public administration academic view as well as to make contributions to practitioners, mainly to those working in the Global South, seeking new forms of implementing and financing these forms of intervention.

Multi-sector theoretical research is applied in this study. From economics is argued that effective municipal financing is intrinsic to equitable planning and development, and the benefits of urban density. From architecture and urban planning, the new urban agenda requires effective, innovative, and sustainable instruments. From organizational studies, the city has been problematized beyond aspects of public policies, infrastructure, and available services. Also is pointed out theories about the complexity and uncertainty of Public Sector interventions.

This paper is based on a selected literature review, as well as legislation analysis for the Brazilian case. Deductive logic was used to investigate the following hypotheses: A - Slum upgrading interventions are more complex than other standard infrastructure interventions; B - PPP Projects for slum upgrading interventions are possible, but more difficult implementation than other standard infrastructure interventions; C - PPP Projects for slum upgrading interventions are not possible under Brazilian legislation.

Regarding the 1st hypothesis, it is clear in the literature that this type of intervention has a unique multi-sector and complexity. It is currently not possible to state that it is more complex than other types of interventions. About the 2nd hypothesis, PPP projects for slum upgrading interventions seem possible, but more search is needed to find SU PPPs. On the 3rd hypothesis, the analysis indicates that these kinds of arrangements are legally possible, but the complexity of the interventions and the almost infinite numbers of stakeholders makes this kind of arrangement seem too naive.

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