Neoliberal policies as catalysts of inequality after disasters: Mapping (Im)mobilities and the effects of floods in Porto Alegre, Brazil

The 2024 floods in Porto Alegre, Brazil, suggest how urban planning shaped by neoliberal reforms may intensify vulnerability during climate disasters. Using spatial analysis, policy review, and a survey of 417 residents across five neighborhoods, this study finds that the privatization and defunding of essential urban services appear to have weakened critical infrastructure and may have contributed to unequal recovery. Low-income areas with higher proportions of Black residents tended to experience longer outages, slower cleanup, and stronger displacement pressures, while wealthier and whiter neighborhoods generally received faster restoration and greater institutional support. These patterns are consistent with wider global trends in urban planning, where austerity and market-driven governance can reduce state capacity and reinforce racialized and socio-economic inequalities. The findings suggest that planning decisions related to infrastructure maintenance, service provision, and disaster preparedness may play an important role in shaping resilience. The study points to a need for urban planning that prioritizes public investment, equitable resource allocation, and socially inclusive disaster risk reduction in order to protect vulnerable communities in an era of intensifying climate impacts. • Shows how neoliberal planning weakened urban infrastructure before the floods • Reveals unequal risk exposure in five heavily affected neighborhoods in Porto Alegre • Identifies racial and income disparities in recovery and service restoration • Links service failures to distinct patterns of displacement intent • Demonstrates how governance choices shape inequitable urban climate responses