MAJOR EVENTS AND THEIR IMPACTS ON URBAN LAW: THE 2014 WORLD CUP AND COP 30 FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND URBAN RESTRUCTURING

Abstract

The hosting of international mega-events, such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup and COP 30, has triggered intense urban restructuring in Brazilian cities, legitimized by discourses of progress and sustainability. However, these events reveal contradictions in national urbanism, including the flexibilization of legal frameworks, the invisibilization of vulnerable communities, and the weakening of popular participation. This article analyzes how such mega-events challenge Brazilian Urban Law instruments, with emphasis on the social function of the city and the right to housing. A qualitative methodology is adopted, based on bibliographic review and comparative analysis between the 2014 World Cup and COP 30 preparations in Belém. The findings indicate that, despite advances in the City Statute, an urban state of exception prevails, driven by economic interests. The study concludes that mega-events, without effective democratic controls, operate as vectors of socio-spatial inequality and territorial commodification, demanding the strengthening of the right to the city and the revaluation of the social function of property.