The Curitiba Observatory of Urban Conflict: methodology and analytical categories

Abstract

Urban conflicts, as an expression of social conflict, are significant phenomena and represent a prominent object for reflection on social dynamics and relations. The aim of this paper is to present categories and methodology that help to broaden knowledge on urban social struggles and their insertion into the most general range of social conflict based on the experience of building research instruments and theoretical contributions that contribute to the Curitiba Observatory of Urban Conflict. The global analysis of the 707 documented protests delivers elements with which to assess the theoretical-methodological potential of the proposal, thereby indicating that the protests, in different ways, have triggered demands for the qualification (improvements in infrastructure and services), appropriation (recognition of uses) and transformation (modification in production processes) of urban spaces.