Audiências públicas como instrumento de controle social: o caso de descumprimento a Lei do Gabarito em João Pessoa-PB

Abstract

This study analyzes the effectiveness of the public hearing held by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Paraíba in October 2025 as an instrument of social control in the urban planning of João Pessoa-PB. The objective is to investigate how this mechanism mediated the conflict between real estate development and environmental protection in light of the “Lei do Gabarito” (Height Limit Law). The methodology, which is applied in nature and qualitative in approach, uses bibliographic and documentary research and content analysis. The theoretical framework articulates the perspectives of Durkheim, Marx, and Habermas' deliberative democracy. The results reveal that the hearing acted as an institutional brake against the relaxation of the parameters of the 2024 Land Use and Occupancy Law (LUOS), converting social demands into technical and legal grounds. However, flaws in transparency and deliberative parity were identified, aggravated by the absence of the municipal executive branch and the restriction on civil society's speaking time. It is concluded that, although the event strengthened oversight of landscape heritage and led to the creation of a parliamentary working group, the effectiveness of social control remains limited by bureaucratic barriers and information asymmetries, requiring continuous mobilization to ensure the social function of the city.