Socio-spatial segregation in São Paulo's peripheral regions: the Campo Limpo experience amidst the sprawl of vertical gated communities

• Grant number: 25/13352-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Public Policies
• Principal Investigator: Eduardo Cesar Leão Marques
• Grantee: Bruna Rodrigues Sombra
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07616-7 - CEM - Center for Metropolitan Studies, AP.CEPID

Abstract

This research aims to discuss socio-spatial segregation processes in the periphery of São Paulo, focusing on the Campo Limpo district, located in the southern part of the city. The study concentrates on the recent sprawl of a specific housing typology - "vertical gated communities" - and their potential contributions to the intensification of urban segregation. The goal is to understand not only the causes and effects of this phenomenon but also to map and characterize the dynamics and socio-spatial patterns involved. To achieve this, the research will map the territory using geoprocessing tools; identify and analyze the district's housing production, considering public housing policies, the role of the real estate market, and urban legislation (zoning, Strategic Master Plan); and gather and examine sociodemographic variables from the 2000, 2010, and 2022 Censuses (IBGE) to characterize the socioeconomic and demographic profile of the inhabitants within a historical panorama. Subsequently, quantitative methods (factor and cluster analyses) will be applied to identify segregation patterns and evaluate transformations over time, considering the relationship between verticalization processes, housing production, and sociodemographic changes. The intention is to correlate the composite indicators and created typologies with the verticalization processes and the establishment of gated communities. Therefore, the analysis of the sprawl of vertical gated communities in peripheral regions is relevant for understanding how urban actors reorganize space, thereby promoting new forms of exclusion and segregation.