Índice de Desenvolvimento Espacial Sustentável (IDES)

Abstract

The following study aims to develop an index to carry out the urban spatial analysis of the municipalities, focusing on the urban territorial issue and that is adequate to the Brazilian reality and to the current legislation. It is expected that this index will enable the evaluation of urban spatial development at the local level, based on appropriate indicators, composed of a reduced number of indicators, using a single database for each indicator that can be applied in municipalities of different sizes, thus allowing the knowledge of the reality of Brazilian municipalities through performance parameters. The process of constructing the index was based on the international bibliometric analysis and the existing index construction manuals. Therefore, the Sustainable Spatial Development Index (SDI) is composed of 4 dimensions, each of which is related to a theme addressed in the city's Statute (housing, sanitation, mobility and urban planning). Considering that each dimension is composed of indicators focused on the environment, social and economic (tripod of sustainability), the dimensions were aggregated according to what is recommended by the City Statute and the concept of Sustainable Spatial Development. The case study was carried out in state capitals and in the Federal District, which demonstrates the feasibility of application in Brazilian municipalities. It is concluded that the way of arranging the dimensions together with the tripod of sustainability (environmental, social and economic) provided the most accurate analysis among the indicators, pointing out possible indications of the need for municipalities to review or develop Master Plans or Sectoral Plans (mobility, sanitation and housing). The overall result of the SDI together with the Human Development Index (HDI), shows that spatial development is relevant within the political context, presenting worrying values in more than half of the cities analyzed. This result provides subsidies for the proposition of public policies and investments in Master Plans and Sectoral Plans. Furthermore, such investments together with the improvement of public policies aimed at housing, sanitation, mobility and planning are crucial for the survival of urban areas together with the population that inhabits them.