Dinâmicas das moradias: entre as ocupações Castanhal, Nova Conquista e as palafitas na cidade de Parintins-AM

Abstract

This work analyzes the urbanization process, exploring the complex relationships between the production of space and the appropriation of urban land based on the situations and needs of the low-income population in the city of Parintins-AM. The research focused on stilt houses and informal occupations, considering them as initiatives inserted in the context of urbanization accompanied by the expansion of poverty, which manifests itself in a particular way in each region or in different cities of the same country, being results of different economic, political, social, cultural and ideological transfers. In the Amazon, this process intensified with the implementation of large “developmental” projects, which boosted a migratory flow and socially and morphologically transformed the cities, which have already incorporated other external processes that induce a centralizing model of occupation of the territory. These factors produced different forms of cities, which resulted in the emergence of various social and environmental problems that directly affected the local population, including access to urban land. In this context, the thesis aims to analyze housing conditions in the areas of stilt houses and the Castanhal and Nova Conquista occupations (2016) in the city of Parintins. The hypothesis is that informal urban occupations arise from situations and needs arising from the living conditions of the low-income population, whose actions shape the dynamics of access to urban land. The theoretical-methodological framework of the research allowed the systematization of empirical data, identifying its specificities in relation to the housing condition. The data collected resulted from action research with residents of the areas involved, as well as field research that included the application of 88 forms, direct observation, informal conversations, photographic records and documentary analysis. Furthermore, the research was based on theoretical references to understand the Amazonian urban space. Thus, the study areas indicate that the right to land and housing faces significant challenges, especially with regard to housing in relation to demands in the city. The ability to concentrate people in search of better conditions results in the occupation of different expansion areas of the city, such as riverbanks, lakes and even environmental preservation areas. The stilt-type houses are built on the banks of Lake Macurany and Francesa and were bottled up in an incomplete urban area, with precarious or absent infrastructure (mainly sewage systems). The Castanhal occupation, located in a Conservation Unit, and Nova Conquista, located on private land, reflects the denial of basic rights and creates dynamics linked to the needs of owning a home not offered to the city's low-income population. The way in which the population relates to the place is expressed in the forms of occupation of floodable spaces and dry land, carrying empirical knowledge inherited from traditional people, as symbols of local culture. Therefore, this research aimed to contribute to revealing the diversity of city-making, providing support for proposing urban and housing policies with less generalizing approaches.