3.5 – Territorial planning instruments

Master Plan

The Federal District Master Plan – PDOT is the basic instrument for territorial policy and orientation for public and private agents in the allocation of human settlements and economic and social activities for the public. The PDOT in force is Complementary Law 803/2009, with alterations due to Complementary Law 854/2012.

The zoning of the territory consists of one the PDOT normative elements, characterized by guiding territorial occupation and search as well as guide future occupations in such a way as to reconcile planning intentions and current reality. Zoning has two levels:

• Macrozone describes the main use of the soil, identifying the space according to its vocation. There are three macrozones: Rural, Urban and Integral Protection.
• Zone details the macrozone, qualifying its vocation. There are two zones in the Rural Macrozone and 6 in the Urban Macrozone. The Full Protection Macrozone has no zones.

Federal District Ecological – Economic Zoning

The Federal District Ecological – Economic Zoning – ZEE-Federal District was instituted by District Law 6.269/2019 with the general objective of promoting sustainability in the social, economic, environmental and institutional policy dimensions by means of reconciling including socioeconomic development with ecological risks and ecosystemic services in favor of present and future generations.

The ZEE-Federal District was developed with the water cycle and levels of soil permeability as the main criterion, seeking to assure the maintenance and preservation of water resources. Among the zoning directives are: assure the maintenance of the levels of soil permeability compatible with the provision of ecosystemic services; reinforce monitoring, control and inspection with the goal of combating the illegal division of land; assure the implantation of a system of permeable intra-urban green areas and; assure the contribution of environmental sanitation compatible with ecological risks, standards and intensity of human occupation.

The ZEE-Federal District has two levels.

• Zones defined in accordance with the level of soil permeability, which are two: the Ecological-Economic Zone for Productive Diversification and Ecosystemic Services – ZEEDPSE, which areas are charged with productive activities that guarantee the preservation of the ecological infrastructure and the hydrological cycle; and the Ecological-Economic Zone for Equity Productive Dynaming Subzones – ZEEDPE, which is tasked with the economical diversification and the productive base of the Federal District, seeking the generation of employment and income, promoting the productive inclusion of the population and reducing inequality.
• Subzones detail the zones according to the vocation of the area. Each of the zones has seven subzones, distinguished in Productive Diversification and Ecosystemic Services Subzones – SZSE and Equity Productive Dynaming Subzones – SZDPE.

Ecological Risks to the Territory

The Federal District Ecological – Economic Zoning – ZEE-Federal District brought different essential concepts to understand the territory and evaluate its potential. In order to support the definition of the zone and subzone polygonals, as well as the creation of directives related to the occupation of the territory, the ecological risks were mapped. These refer to the intrinsic characteristics of the physical and biological resources that exist in the territory and the ability of the system to absorb pressure without suffering long-term alterations. The ecological risks considered were: risk of losing the area of aquifer replenishment, risk of soil loss due to erosion, risk of contaminating the subsoil and loss of the native cerrado area.

• Ecological risk of losing the area of aquifer recharge considers the risk of losing areas that allow the entrance of water by means of the soil into the subsoil, to assure the replenishment of subterranean water reserves, a condition necessary for the resurgence of water at the fountains and maintenance of rivers during the dry season.
• Ecological risk of soil loss due to erosion identifies the areas most susceptible to soil degradation leading to erosion, which process can lead to the loss of nutrients, soil depletion, favoring opportunist species, silting of bodies of water and landslides
• Ecological risk of subsoil contamination addresses the natural degree of potential threats of subsoil contamination and the quantity and quality of subterranean water.
• Risk of losing remaining areas of Native Cerrado are the areas with the greatest risk of alteration of the native vegetation for other uses by means of human actions.

Territorial Planning Unit

The Territorial Master Plan – PDOT regionalized the Federal District territory into Territorial Planning Units – UPT, which join the administrative regions that have similarities and some degree of dependence on the road infrastructure, equipment and services. The UPTs serve as a base to prepare local policies for the planning and management of the territory. Seven UPTs were defined: North, South, East, West, Central and Adjacent Central 1 and 2.