Connections in the ocupações: Collective productions and the struggle for decent housing in the center of São Paulo

This article seeks to present and analyze the processes of collective production in the struggle for access to decent housing for the impoverished population through practices developed in buildings occupied by social movements in the center of São Paulo (ocupações). Its findings are based on research carried out as part of the ANR-FAPESP research project CoPolis. Starting from the position of the university, we look at processes carried out with social movements, technical teams, and public authorities. The aim is to map the relationships that have built up these struggles and to help illustrate what we call “connections” by presenting and reflecting on three different experiences with which the authors had different levels of proximity and involvement.