Urban form versus economic interests: an unstable balance

Abstract

The main purpose of this article consists in making a reflection on the relations between the planning decisions on urban form and the interests of the different agents involved in development processes (where the economic interests stand out) and respective impact on urban land rent and, therefore, on proper real estate values. The increasing economic pressures on urban morphologies and building typologies simultaneously influence and are influenced by planning processes and practices. Contrary to what currently occurs in planning frameworks, economic issues are rarely dealt with in Portuguese plans. Thus the author contends that plans should cease to be strictly-focused on physical concerns, and enlarge their scope for intervention. She argues that physical and economic issues shouldnt proceed different ways in planning, and proposes that plans should include measures to assess the economic impact they exert on urban realities and vice versa. Some proposals are made for these measures, based on econometric procedures, in order to generate alternative analysis and feasible surplus values taxation devices, complying with morphological and typological patterns of land use, but strengthening synergistic development processes.