REGULATION OF URBAN SPACE IN A COASTAL CITY: THE CASE OF SANTA CATARINA ISLAND (FLORIANÓPOLIS, SC)

Abstract

Urban space regulation in Brazil has traditionally been analyzed through municipal planning instruments such as master plans and zoning regulations. However, in coastal cities, urban spatial production is shaped by legal and institutional regimes that go beyond urban policy in a strict sense, particularly federal land management. This article examines the territorial implications of federal coastal lands (terrenos de marinha) and the definition of the Mean High Tide Line (Linha de Preamar Média – LPM) within the context of urban planning, based on a case study of Santa Catarina Island, in the municipality of Florianópolis, Brazil. The research adopts a qualitative approach, combining institutional and normative analysis, comparative spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and an integrated interpretation of territorial effects associated with the coexistence of areas with approved and unapproved LPM. The findings indicate that federal land tenure uncertainty produces normative insecurity, institutional fragmentation, and significant territorial differentiation, directly affecting urban occupation patterns, licensing processes, and spatial consolidation. By engaging with current debates in Urban and Regional Planning, the article argues that federal land management constitutes an active dimension of urban governance in coastal cities and should be explicitly incorporated into analyses of territorial planning and urban policy.