What is it about?
This article examines the relationship between human rest and contemporary urban planning, considering it as an essential right to human dignity and social justice. The objective is to explore the philosophical and normative foundations that support the promotion of rest and propose practical guidelines for its integration into legal frameworks and public policies. The methodology combines a critical literature review, based on authors such as Lefebvre, Harvey, and Arendt, with a documental analysis of Brazilian legal instruments, including the 1988 Federal Constitution and the City Statute. Additionally, it examines international cases, such as the "Ciclovía" program in Bogotá and urban redesign initiatives in Copenhagen, to identify successful examples. The findings reveal that, although Brazilian legal frameworks address quality-of-life rights, such as health and leisure, rest remains overlooked as an autonomous right. The article suggests solutions such as the inclusion of rest zones in municipal master plans, financing through public-private partnerships (PPPs), and the use of urban quality indicators. It concludes that integrating rest into urban planning is essential to fostering more inclusive and human-centered cities, balancing progress with quality of life. This study contributes by broadening the interdisciplinary debate and offering concrete guidelines for promoting rest.
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Why is it important?
Human rest, despite its relevance to physical, mental and social well-being, is often neglected in urban planning and public policy formulation. This gap is particularly worrying in a contemporary context characterized by the intensification of productive life, disorderly urbanization and inequality in access to adequate public spaces. Although the Brazilian legal system contemplates rights such as health, housing and leisure, rest is rarely addressed as an autonomous right that is essential to human dignity, limiting its protection and promotion in cities.
Perspectives
This work, therefore, seeks to contribute to the academic and political debate by highlighting human rest as a structuring axis of fair and sustainable cities. By proposing practical guidelines and exploring the philosophical, legal and urban foundations of the topic, we hope to offer subsidies for the formulation of inclusive public policies. The study is also justified by its potential to influence the conception of cities that reconcile economic progress, social justice and human dignity, expanding the scope of the right to rest and promoting an ethical reconfiguration of urban space.
MSc Stênio de Freitas Barretto
Universidade de Coimbra
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A Cidade e o Descanso Humano: uma discussão jurídico-filosófica, Revista de Direito da Cidade, March 2025, Universidade de Estado do Rio de Janeiro,
DOI: 10.12957/rdc.2024.89075.
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