THE RIGHT TO HOUSING AND THE BRAZILIAN HOUSING POLICIES OVER THE SECOND DECADE OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

The accelerating urban sprawl in Brazil isn´t meeting the increasing housing demand, and industry solutions have been found lacking. Public Policy has been historically incapable of solving the housing shortage issue. This paper intends to study Brazilian housing policies over the second decade of the 21st century. "My House, My Life" (Minha Casa Minha Vida) program is analyzed with a right to adequate housing in mind, within which housing must be preceded or accompanied by urban infrastructure that offers a basic standard of dignity to its occupants. We conclude that public policy has yet to address the cost of land problem and the democratization of access to it. In addition, its institutional design monopolized the entire debate on housing, neglecting other forms of housing production.