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Common property in the city: Curbing urban vacancy in São Paulo

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  • Abigail Friendly

Abstract

The issue of urban vacancy is both a complex and a prevalent phenomenon in multiple contexts globally, providing an opening to address systemic issues of precarity. In this article, I explore the issue of urban vacancy in São Paulo, where the problem of vacant property has been highlighted for years alongside housing challenges and socio-spatial segregation. While São Paulo’s real estate market is often unreachable for the urban poor, a Brazilian constitutional directive on the social function of property – the obligation to use property to further the common good – enables municipalities to take punitive action against owners of vacant property through a triad of policy tools. Therefore, despite the often-exclusionary nature of vacancy, transformational possibilities may exist. Exploring the application of these tools, I view urban vacancy through a perspective on common property, untangling emergent contestations and opportunities for transformation.

Suggested Citation

  • Abigail Friendly, 2025. "Common property in the city: Curbing urban vacancy in São Paulo," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 62(6), pages 1062-1082, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:62:y:2025:i:6:p:1062-1082
    DOI: 10.1177/00420980241271063
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