Reflexões sobre o desenvolvimento em cidades pequenas: o caso de Esperança, estado da Paraíba

Abstract

The Aim of this research is to debate the apparent dissociation between the development discourse and its effectiveness in the internal context of small cities, aiming to identify its peculiarities from the case of the city of Esperança, located at the Agreste region of the State of Paraíba. This city represents in its socio-spatial dynamics the dilemmas and contradictions of development in small cities. The deductive hypothetical method was used to analyze the socio-spatial dynamics from its configurations in scales beyond the local area, to those of materialization in the intra-urban dimension. As a result, the scientific scope of the subject was verified in relation to the contribution of sciences, such as Geography, Economics and Sociology. In addition, it was observed the need of enlargement and balance between public policies that drive to the reproduction of urban space and the implementation of development, as a practice of humanity and sustainability, for all who live in small cities. The study of the city of Esperança exemplified the contradiction. First of all, between policies that restricts the perspective of development to the economic dimension of social and political life and, secondly, the mismanagement of the state on periurban spaces (urban fringes) that expose the urgency of Actions to mitigate the lack of public services, especially, to the social groups of low income.