During the authoritarian developmentalist period (1964-1984), metropolitan regions were fundamental components of the territorial intergovernmental policies. During the democratic period, the Federal Constitution of 1988 handed up the urban management to the municipality, metropolitan management to the discretion and interest of each state, and the metropolitan issue lost importance. The text highlights the potential of the constitutional rule for reducing social and urban disparities in Brazilian metropolises today.
Keywords: metropolitan regions; urban development; metropolitan planning; urban Brazil.
