Analytical study on the Urban Operation for implementing sustainable cities

Aiming to contribute to the debate on the use of Brazilian urban policies instruments to promote the transition to more sustainable cities, this article analyses the Urban Operation institute (Operação Urbana Consorciada) from its theoretical perspective, identifying its main potentialities: that enable participation and synergy between various city actors in urban operation, and the implementation of an urban project, which can reconcile diverse interests and address actions on multiple urban challenges, elements that are fundamental to the implementation of more sustainable cities. And for its practical perspective, elucidating its main challenges on the ground, linked to its use to prioritize real estate expansion and the understanding given by Government as a collection instrument, emphasizing mechanisms such as sale and issuance of Additional Building Rights Certificate (In Portuguese, Certificado de Potencial Adicional de Construção, CEPAC), which takes the centrality and, consequently, leading to a distorted use of the UO.