Determinants of social housing production in downtown metropolitan areas in times of financialization

Abstract This article discusses, based on interviews with several specialists, the main factors that enable/hinder the production of social housing in downtown areas of large urban centers. The transformation process of real estate into global financial assets and the analysis of housing production by the State in Brazilian metropolises are references for an extended reflection on the theme. The city of São Paulo is the main object of the discussions, researches and data presented in this work. At the end of the article, some notes are presented in order to contribute to the maturation of the debate on the development of housing policies for downtown areas of Brazilian metropolises.