Analysis of the Brazilian assessment methodologies of socio-environmental vulnerability as a result of urban problems in Brazil

Abstract

The article intends to reflect on and analyze the main methodologies to assess socio-environmental vulnerability that have been proposed and applied to specific contexts in Brazil, through a comparative theoretical essay using a set of assessment criteria extracted from the variables existing in the diverse surveyed models. The results show that the models have contributed to the advancement of socio-environmental vulnerability studies in Brazil; in addition, they have enabled an accurate diagnosis of the factors that contribute to intensify and mitigate the phenomenon. However, given the dynamics and complex nature of the urbanization process and its implications, it is necessary to constantly adapt the established methodologies, as well as to create new methodologies that are able to translate faithfully the dynamics and complexity of urbanization, particularly for poor communities.