The Manifestations of the Commons in Brazilian Law: Discussions on the Public-Private Dichotomy, Considered from Public Spaces

Authors

  • Virgínia Totti Guimarães Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro -PUC-Rio, Rio de Janeiro, RJ

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12957/rdc.2024.80410

Keywords:

commons, non-property, common good of the people, diffuse goods, public spaces

Abstract

The article discuss the manifestations of the common in Brazilian law, which helps to problematize the public-private dichotomy. Common goods are understood by jurists as political and constitutional instruments for the direct satisfaction of the needs and fundamental rights of the community, based on solidarity and non-exclusion.  The discussion is widely reflected in Brazilian law, even though it does not specifically deal with this category yet, helping in the debate on reducing the boundary between public and private law, as well as the need to think about legal instruments to curb the logic of the market that establish restrictions or limits on fundamental rights and also re-establish participatory instruments in decision-making.  We discuss the ownership of goods for the common use of the people and the concepts of primary public interest, as well as relevant issues regarding diffuse goods, especially the environment. Adopting a logical-inductive methodology, based on a bibliographical review, we intend to question the instruments available under current Brazilian law for maintaining and preserving public spaces or whether we should think about new legal models capable of achieving these objectives.

Author Biography

Virgínia Totti Guimarães, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro -PUC-Rio, Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Doutora em Direito pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), mestre em Planejamento Urbano e Regional pela Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPPUR/UFRJ) e especialista em Direito Ambiental pela PUC-Rio e em Advocacia Pública pela Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). É professora de Direito Ambiental e de Direito Urbanístico da PUC-Rio e Coordenadora Acadêmica do Curso de Pós-Graduação lato sensu em Direito Ambiental também da PUC-Rio.

   

Published

2025-03-27

How to Cite

Guimarães, V. T. (2025). The Manifestations of the Commons in Brazilian Law: Discussions on the Public-Private Dichotomy, Considered from Public Spaces. Revista De Direito Da Cidade, 16(4), 184–222. https://doi.org/10.12957/rdc.2024.80410