This research concentrates on the development of urban green areas by local governments
and also its impacts on social segregation. The main focus resides in the fact that urban
green areas are usually scarce and in high demand by the affluent, consequently
promoting a buoyant market. The next step of the vicious cycle relates to the interest of
the local governments in developing areas for higher-end consumers, be it for eyeing
higher property taxes or by the imposition of pressure groups such as property developers
and specific residents. In that way, social segregation could be reinforced, given that
public investment usually is diverted from distant and low-income areas. On the other
hand, as highlighted by many researchers, urban green spaces are vital for the well-being
of the residents and their development should be carefully planned by local governments.
It is of paramount importance the location of these areas in the urban grid. This research
concentrated in the City of Palmas - Tocantins, Brazil. With the aim to clarify the local
government decisions process on these matters, bibliography and documentary research
were produced, as well as interviews with local government officials and geospatial
mapping. The research found evidence that the majority of investments in green urban
areas were made in the central and affluent areas of the City. The hypothesis that the
South region, with a majority of low-income residents, is not receiving significant
investment in the development of urban green areas, despite its populational density, was
confirmed. The evidence gathered indicates that the latest actions from local government
is therefore reinforcing social and spatial inequality in the City of Palmas, when the
expected would be exactly the opposite.
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