The Metropolis Statute and metropolitan regions: a theoretical-conceptual analysis in light of Milton Santos’ concept of “used territory”

Abstract This paper discusses, conceptually, the limits and advances of the Metropolis Statute regarding the definition and delimitation of metropolitan regions as political territories, capable of becoming objects of public policies. The emergence of the ‘metropolitan’ reveals changes in the national spatial order in Brazil and imposes significant challenges, mainly concerning the formulation of public policies and the need for their articulation. This article’s empirical reference is the Metropolis Statute and its predecessors, and it intends to present, based on this regulation and on the context of its approval, a critical analysis of the concept of metropolitan region adopted by the Metropolis Statute, in light of what Milton Santos calls “used territory”.