O paradoxo da resiliência: como a resposta a desastres limita a transformação urbana no Paraná

Abstract

This thesis investigates how the regionalization strategy of the Paraná Civil Defense limits the construction of resilient cities by prioritizing a disaster response-centered paradigm. It is situated within the context of climate emergencies and the intensification of extreme events, which amplify socio-environmental vulnerabilities, particularly in the Global South. The study is grounded in the theory of socio-ecological resilience, as per C. S. Holling, Carl Folke, and Brian Walker, and the concept of urban resilience by Sara Meerow, which articulates adaptation and transformability within complex socioecological systems. The research identifies that the intensified cumulative-climate risk in the Global South imposes disproportionate challenges on territories such as Paraná, where hydrometeorological disasters have shown significant growth in recent decades. Using a single case study of the State Coordination of Civil Defense of Paraná, content analysis of 37 regulatory documents (1972–2025), and triangulation with institutional data, the study demonstrates that the regionalization of Civil Defense resulted in a robust structure of command, articulation, and logistical response, supported by instruments such as the Computerized Civil Defense System, contingency plans, Regional Action Centers, and simulation programs. However, the operational emphasis and the persistence of a militarized organizational culture hinder the internalization of adaptive and transformative capacities essential to urban resilience, such as polycentric governance, management of slow variables, meaningful social participation, institutional learning, and integration with urban planning. The findings confirm the paradox identified in Brazilian literature: although the post-2012 regulatory discourse incorporates prevention and resilience, practices remain focused on response, potentially reinforcing cycles of vulnerability and municipal dependence. The data suggested the hypothesis of a “conservative modernization” process, dominated by engineering resilience, in which the institution perfected logistical and financial efficiency for prompt response and post-event status quo recovery. It is concluded that regionalization, despite increasing efficiency for coordination and rapid response, may paradoxically act as an institutional barrier to transformative resilience when it fails to link its functions to overcoming the root causes of socio-environmental vulnerabilities. The study suggests an evolution toward adaptive governance that integrates social participation and urban planning into the proactive reduction of structural vulnerabilities, recommending that state policy advance toward multiscale governance capable of articulating prevention, adaptation, and territorial transformation.