Brazilian Law Sets Standards for Compact, Connected, Coordinated Social Housing

A case study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) detailing the development and enactment of a 2017 Brazilian law that establishes 'compact, connected and coordinated' (3C) standards for the Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) social housing program to combat urban sprawl and improve service access.

• The Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) social housing program, while building over 3 million houses for low-income families, increased urban sprawl because projects were often placed far from urban centers to secure lower land prices, which limited access to healthcare, education, jobs, and transport.
• A countrywide study conducted by WRI determined that creating distant communities that contribute to urban sprawl results in higher costs for providing essential services compared to implementing compact, connected and coordinated (3C) developments.
• In March 2017, Brazil enacted a law implementing 3C standards for the next phase of MCMV, which promotes walking, cycling, and public transport connections while discouraging gated communities. This law is intended to guide the construction of 600,000 houses over two years, potentially benefiting 1.8 million low-income people and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport.

APA

World Resources Institute (2017). Brazilian Law Sets Standards for Compact, Connected, Coordinated Social Housing. https://www.wri.org/outcomes/brazilian-law-sets-standards-compact-connected-coordinated-social-housing

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Brazilian Law Sets Standards for Compact, Connected, Coordinated Social Housing. 2017. https://www.wri.org/outcomes/brazilian-law-sets-standards-compact-connected-coordinated-social-housing.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Brazilian Law Sets Standards for Compact, Connected, Coordinated Social Housing |date=15 December 2017 |url=https://www.wri.org/outcomes/brazilian-law-sets-standards-compact-connected-coordinated-social-housing |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2017brazilian, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Brazilian Law Sets Standards for Compact, Connected, Coordinated Social Housing}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2017}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/outcomes/brazilian-law-sets-standards-compact-connected-coordinated-social-housing}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }