The intense process of urban development in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo on the second half of the XX Century was directly influenced by private property and urban law. While the upper classes succeeded in influencing urban law and the direction of state investments in infra-structure in their favour, the lower classes had to occupy public and private land or suburban subdivisions, most of which in areas of environmental protection. Watersprings protection laws, issued in the seventies,

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... med at organizing the occupation of these areas, however it is exactly there that the area has grown most. The lack of efficacy of the law and the need to ensure the water supply created the need to review the laws, targeting conflict resolution between housing rights and the right to environment, which should not be seen as antagonistic, since they can be conciliated. It is necessary to promote sustainable land tenure regularization programmes, able to ensure the security of land tenure without environmental damages. The Union, the