Uploaded on 2017-04-18 by Suelen Artuso

In the city of Balneário Camboriú, the main urban planning decisions have always been taken by government planners without popular participation. However, some actions have been changing this reality in recent years: - An example of the CSD that can be considered is the meeting that the city hall periodically makes open to the public to discuss changes in the Master Plan. Although the initial idea is very important for decisions to be taken in accordance with what the majority of the population understands as fundamental, in reality these meetings are mainly attended by representatives of private construction companies. These entrepreneurs summon many people with these same interests to the meetings and the decisions are taken by a small group that thinks for their own benefit. These public hearings should be more publicized, as many residents are unaware of their existence, making the participation of those living in the city very small in decision making. - Another example, also coming from the city hall, is participatory budgeting. In this type of meeting, there is no exchange of information to make the best decisions, but it can be considered a CDS, because it is at that meeting that the population can decide what are the government's investment priorities for the city. That is, citizens have the power to decide in which areas the government must make investments in order of importance to the population. - Another example emerged from the interest of the community and is one of the most expressive examples of how popular participation is important. The so-called Neighbors Network has emerged to inhibit the occurrence of robberies in some parts of the city. Residents of the neighborhood or a street made an assosiation and contacted the city's security office. Through this action, the police began to lecture on security and began to interact with the residents. All the residents know their neighbors, have their contact, and tell them when they will be away for a long time. In case of suspicious movement, the group is warned and the police also, making inspection rounds to ensure the safety of the place. It is a system of collaboration between neighbors that has given a very good result, reducing the cases of assault and violence in the neighborhoods. It is very important that the citizens are aware of their power of union and decision, that they know how to give their opinion on the planning of the city. Popular participation should be disseminated more emphatically, through schools, neighborhood associations and cultural groups, to ensure that everyone has a voice to help plan the city in which they live.