Contributions to the debate on sustainable territorial development for effective municipal management

Abstract

This article evaluates the possibilities for the application of the sustainable territorial development approach to the field of municipal management. Initially, our analysis deals with the historical and institutional context of municipal management in Brazil. We then proceed with an examination of the main advancements and limitations of the processes of federalization of municipalities after the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution. This in turn is meant to provide evidence of the main challenges that emerge around the engagement of local governments in promoting new styles of ecologically sustainable and socially inclusive development. From there, we move on to refine our concept of sustainable territorial development, through an incursion into the theoretical approaches on which the former is based. Finally, we seek to demonstrate the “objective possibilities” for applying this approach at the municipal level, particularly insofar as the conception and implementation of integrated and participatory plans for development are concerned. Keywords: Sustainable territorial development, public policy, municipal management, ecologically sustainable development.