REFLECTIONS ON THE PRODUCTION OF URBAN SPACE IN BRAZIL AND ITS CITIES

Abstract

This article aims to present reflections on the production of urban space in Brazil during the process of industrialization and urbanization that occurred in the country since the early twentieth century to the present day. In the article, in addition to reflections, we discuss some historical processes and policies through tables, map and data. In the world, the country has one of the largest territories, population and economy and faced several difficulties since its formation through historical processes that include the situation of colony, slavery, empire and independence with subsequent establishment of a federal republic, with episodes of autocracy still in the twentieth century. The country went from agricultural exporter to the condition of industrial and agricultural power after a long process of transformations that drove the country's economy. The state planning associated with the performance of major domestic and foreign capital in Brazil allowed the country get high growth rates in the twentieth century with similar numbers at times to the current China. An intense process of transformation occurred in the country with the stabilization of the economy post-1994 and deepening of social policies more structured after 2002. Along the described historical process, the production of space in the urban centers brought bad consequences to population of many cities in the country and also reactions against precariousness of urban facilities, lack of sanitation, social exclusion, among others. Brazilian activists and thinkers from diverse backgrounds had created intellectual perspectives about the described issues as Milton Santos, Paulo Freyre and Celso Furtado, among them, for example. Several issues related to human sciences including geography, sociology, economics etc in Brazil are not consensual and are still open to deep reflection in the academic literature. In this sense, it is necessary to expand reflections on these processes and for that we present this study on the production of urban space in Brazil and its consequences throughout the twentieth century to the present day. As conclusion, despite some efforts and relatively successful policies to treat some of the most critical social problems as income concentration, poverty and exclusion of significant segments of the population, the fact is that Brazilian cities are still suffering with bad conditions related to the production of urban space. The ethos of capitalist conservative modernization that occurred in Brazil over time was not able to eliminate some of its contradictions and more reflections are necessary in the sense to create better effective policies and improve the well-being of the population. Keywords: Production, Space, Cities, Brazil, Urban.