Regional planning in the state of Rio Grande do Sul: a methodological proposal for the analysis of regional development strategic plans

Abstract

Pressures of the global economy, the accelerating flow of capital, information, goods, people, etc., and the resulting spatial rearrangements have brought up the challenge of reasserting regional dynamics. In such a context of growing and continuous economic and technological changes that affect the direction and intensity of the existing relationships between places and regions of the world, planning becomes indispensable to the development of regional areas. Guided by this reflection we start by describing the regional spatiality and the challenge of the regional planning process as they are nowadays. We continue by restoring the experience of regional planning in the state of Rio Grande do Sul through the experience of the Regional Development Councils (COREDES). We then suggest a methodology for the analysis of the regional development plans made by COREDES in the 2009/2010 period. Finally, we present some of the results of the production process analysis and the contents of the COREDEs plans selected for the research.