The City Statute

The City Statute (Law No. 10.257/2001) was adopted in 2001 to regulate articles 182 and 183 of the Brazilian Constitution, which state that municipalities shall set up urban development policies for the realization of the ‘social function of cities’, aiming at the wellbeing of their inhabitants. The Statute establishes a number of urban development instruments, such as compulsory master plans, expropriation of properties that do not comply with their ‘social function’, the setting up of zones of special interest for the development of housing for the urban poor and public participation, among others.