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This research focuses the land and urban legalizing process of spontaneous shantytown settlements between 1980 and 1999, from the perspective of three such communities, located in the state of Rio de Janeiro and which form the basis of this case study. The aim of this work is to suggest different possibilities to intervene in these areas from a urban and land standpoint. Despite not being the only solution to the housing problem, it was found that the land formalization process helps improve the lives of vast numbers of people which today live in inadequate housing arrangements. Moreover, this article argues that such a process must walk hand-in-hand with urban redesign, which in turn must be carried out considering the involvement of the people affected by such plans. In order to allow this process, it is necessary to promote changes in local governments, reshaping and redefining priorities, adjusting the organizational structure, and training specialized professionals to carry out these tasks. In this latter aspect, the university community has an important role to play.
