The National Housing Bank and My House My Life Program: two housing policies and the same locational logic

Abstract

This article undertakes a comparative analysis of the policies of Banco Nacional de Habitação (National Housing Bank) and Programa Minha Casa Minha Vida (My House My Life Program). Its parameter is the locational logic of the housing estates implemented by these policies in the Metropolitan Region of Belém (Northern Brazil). This paper characterizes the two policies, maps the housing estates they have set up in the metropolitan context, and classifies them according to the three funding bands laid down by each policy. It shows that, in both cases, the sites chosen for the housing estates in the urban grid are determined by the purchasing power of the borrowers, in such a way that those who "have a better home and life" are those who can pay more for the dwelling. By revealing that the housing estates targeted at those in the lowest income stratum are located on the periphery, it shows the clear segregation process that has characterized the production of urban space in these housing policies.