Patrimônio urbanístico como problema de gestão urbana : as responsabilidades da escala local no Brasil e em Portugal

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the relationship between cultural heritage and urban planning at the local scale, with a particular emphasis on the role of municipalities in heritage management. From this perspective, the study investigates how territorial planning instruments – particularly master plans – can contribute to integrating cultural heritage management into urban governance. The analysis is based on six case studies involving three Brazilian cities (Pelotas, Santa Maria, and São Miguel das Missões) and three Portuguese cities (Évora, Guimarães, and Porto). This sample, which includes municipalities from the state of Rio Grande do Sul and UNESCO-recognized cities in Portugal, seeks to identify different institutional arrangements across distinct urban realities and varying levels of consolidation of local heritage policies. The methodology combines a literature review and document analysis, with a particular emphasis on collecting primary data from archives, city governments, and interviews with technical staff and managers. The comparative approach brings these contexts closer together to identify guidelines, strengths, and challenges that deepen the understanding of heritage management integrated with territorial planning. The concept of urbanistic heritage is adopted as the main analytical framework, allowing the city to be understood as a complex cultural artifact whose preservation must consider both tangible and intangible elements, across different spatial scales. The results show that, although legislation and regulatory instruments are available, the effectiveness of heritage management depends on multiple factors, such as community engagement, political will, and institutional capacity. In Portugal, there is greater coordination between urban planning and heritage policies, primarily through the role of municipal councils. In Brazil, Pelotas stands out for its consolidated institutional trajectory, while Santa Maria and São Miguel das Missões face greater challenges in achieving such integration. The study concludes that cultural heritage preservation gains strength and relevance when incorporated as a strategic dimension of urban policy. When participatory and well-structured, master plans can become effective tools to promote fairer cities, more aware of and connected to their collective memory. However, although urban planning instruments are important for the institutionalization of heritage protection policies, it is social participation that ensures their legitimacy and continuity. Popular will is crucial for cultural heritage to be recognized as a living part of the city and integrated into the everyday dynamics of urban planning.