Planning in the First Person: Local Knowledge and Favela Adaptation

Dialogue with vulnerable populations is essential for building fairer cities; only then is it possible to plan closer to their realities and foster a critical perspective on the territory and the mechanisms that shape it. The pathways to cities that are more just, sustainable, and people-centered depend on social participation and on building a collective understanding that the city must serve local interests. By recognizing and valuing local knowledge and lived experiences, it becomes possible to encourage critical perspectives, identify shortcomings, and also recognize the potential of the territory. Local diagnoses, carried out through collaborative mapping, are fundamental for designing cities that value people and their experiences—enabling residents to recognize themselves as integral parts of the territory. Therefore, acting to make cities more just requires focusing on peripheral territories in order to reduce infrastructure deficits, promote quality of life, and foster cultural and leisure opportunities, as well as employment. The urban qualification of peripheral areas represents a crucial step in addressing historical inequalities, ensuring that vulnerable populations—especially female heads of households and the Black population—can fully exercise their right to the city and to adequate housing. At the same time, it also contributes to the construction of a more sustainable city: one that is polycentric and less costly for everyone.