This article is based on the comparison of the metropolitan policies formulated by two megacities, São Paulo and Mumbai, to deal with slums in order to examine development plans prepared by public authorities since 1950. This comparison bring out the similarities in their four general trends. The end, the policies failed due to changes in the municipal administration which interfered with the continuity of programmes and to lack of financial resources. Who really manages the city: the government or private investors?
Metropolization; Planning; Slums; Urbanization; Development
