Abstract The presence of unoccupied buildings in Brazilian urban centers, coupled with the scarcity of affordable housing, drives the reuse of these buildings as a strategy for urban regeneration. This practice aims to mitigate the physical and social degradation of historic centers, promote the preservation of architectural heritage and increase access to decent and sustainable housing. This study carries out a comparative analysis between Porto Alegre, São Paulo and Recife, focusing on public-private partnerships (PPPs) aimed at the housing conversion of vacant properties. The research is structured along three axes: (I) legislation and public policies, examining urban planning instruments and incentives; (II) investor profiles, highlighting financing and management models; and (III) architectural typologies, assessing the potential and limitations of existing structures. A qualitative approach was adopted, with a document review and comparative analysis of policies and architectural typologies. Preliminary results indicate that cities with greater regulatory flexibility and more robust fiscal incentives have a greater capacity to attract investment. São Paulo stands out for its PPPs in the historic center; Porto Alegre, for its active heritage legislation; Recife, for its challenges in infrastructure and heritage protection. By integrating normative, technical and economic dimensions, this research contributes to the debate on sustainable urban regeneration strategies, with a focus on social inclusion and valuing historic centers.
Pereira et al. (Mon,) studied this question.