Brazilian Metropolises Research Articles

Urban cultural insurgencies: the fight for the Brazilian city

Based on the study of 24 urban insurgencies, in seven Brazilian metropolises, we discuss their principles, contextualization and results. Following a historical review of Brazilian urban practices and policies highlighting alternate hopes and deep disenchantments, we describe the methodology and present the case study. The conclusions are: there are still no signs of the replication of such experiences in more extensive practices; they suggest a preference for working detached from official governmental structures; they follow global commitments and aspirations in virtual and very informal consortiums but rather act locally and independently; they are most commonly found on the periphery and in abandoned downtown areas; they avoid hierarchical structures, advocate for minority causes, propose affirmative actions and rely on social media for their organization. In general, their impacts are restricted but suggest a pragmatism with feasible emergency solutions. The article's tone, also shaped by the authors' personal experiences, is quite positive and even suggests a possible urban utopia.

POBREZA ESTRUTURAL-URBANA NO SÉCULO XXI

This article presents a theoretical reflection on interpretations of poverty, principally contemporary urban poverty, inspired by the works of Milton Santos. It is based on Geographical critical theory and other potential dialogues that contextualize and analyze poverty, understood here as the result of structural violence in territorial formation and Brazilian metropolises. It is concluded that poverty is structural-urban and can inform a qualitative debate (not only quantitative) on the lack of human dignity seeking to recognize the legitimacy of existence in places. Keywords: Violence, Urban Poverty, Metropolises, Socio-spatial Formation.

PROPOSAL FOR AN EMBRYONIC MODEL TO PROMOTE SMART CITIES, IMPLEMENTED IN A BOTTOM-UP FORMAT, APPLIED TO THE AMAZON REGION

Environmental changes, many of which result from human negligence, have driven managers to adopt sustainable practices that adhere to the concept of Smart Cities, a concept that is becoming popular among administrators of Brazilian metropolises. This movement has been corroborated by ABNT standards and the federal government. However, in less developed regions such as Northern Brazil, where challenges are greater and resources are limited, traditional top-down urban development strategies such as BRTs have proven inefficient as initial solutions. This article investigates the feasibility of implementing projects for Smart Cities in the Amazon region given the scarcity of resources. It proposes an alternative bottom-up model titled Smart Launch, which is shown to be more viable for sustainable development in regions with these characteristics. The model recommends starting with smaller and more manageable projects that can be easily implemented without extensive bureaucracy or significant investments. Once established, the model can be quickly replicated and adapted in other locations. The case of the UsiPaz (Peace Plants) in Pará exemplifies the success of this approach and has been taken as a case study, showing significant reduction in violence rates and an increase in the sense of community belonging, as evidenced by qualitative research through semi-structured interviews with managers from three plants in different neighborhoods of the metropolitan region of Belém.

Creative dynamics in districts of large Brazilian metropolises: Botafogo (RJ) and Santa Tereza (BH)

Creative dynamics in districts of large Brazilian metropolises: Botafogo (RJ) and Santa Tereza (BH)

Estrutura sócio-ocupacional das metrópoles brasileiras: mudanças e permanências em 40 anos

Abstract This article analyzes the socio-occupational structure of the main Brazilian metropolises between 1982 and 2021, focusing on their composition and on the behavior of income inequalities. We seek to answer the following questions: “What changed and what remained the same in the composition of the socio-occupational structure of Brazilian metropolises?” and “How did income inequalities appear in this socio-occupational structure in the period under analysis?” PNAD data from 1982 and PNADC data from 2021, provided by IBGE, were used. Although important changes occurred in the 40-year period, the study’s main results point to the maintenance of a social structure represented by the pyramidal model and to a reduction in income inequalities.

Costurando a cidade: crise do capital, urbanização logística e entregadores de aplicativo

Abstract In the context of the recent transformations undergone by work in Brazilian metropolises, there has been a multiplication of precarious jobs related to circulation of goods. The crisis of capital and of the value-form seem to be giving rise to the need of efficient circulation as a condition for accumulation, which is reflected in the so- -called logistical urbanization. The article presents an interpretation of these processes based on Lefebvre’s levels of analysis of the urban (G-M-P). By exploring the relationship between crisis of capital, logistical urbanization, and the everyday dimension of app-based delivery workers, we conclude that the precarization of work and the production of logistical infrastructures emerge as material expressions of the increasing crisis of the valorization of value; at the same time, they alter the forms of struggle of the working class.

Socio-occupational structure of Brazilian metropolises: what changed and what remained the same in 40 years

Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar os resultados da análise da estrutura sócio-ocupacional das principais metrópoles do Brasil, entre os anos de 1982 e 2021, focando em sua composição e no comportamento das desigualdades de renda. Buscamos responder às seguintes questões: "Que mudanças e/ou permanências ocorreram na composição da estrutura sócio-ocupacional das metrópoles brasileiras?” e “Como as desigualdades de renda se apresentaram nessa estrutura sócio-ocupacional no período em análise?”. Foram utilizados dados Pnad, de 1982, e PnadC, de 2021, do IBGE. Os principais resultados encontrados apontam para a manutenção de uma estrutura social representada pelo modelo piramidal, apesar de mudanças importantes ocorridas ao longo de 40 anos, e para a redução das desigualdades de renda.

The urban as anti-nation: to understand the crisis of Brazilian metropolises

Resumo Como retomar um projeto de desenvolvimento que contemple a reforma urbana e o direito à cidade? Buscamos esboçar um marco teórico-analítico compatível com essa possibilidade, entendendo que as cidades brasileiras podem funcionar como vetores da reconstrução da nação, após o período recente de sucessivas crises, com destaque para a crise urbana. Propomos adotar horizontes amplos de investigação dos “problemas urbanos”, sustentando que eles devem ser considerados à luz da forma histórica contemporânea da dependência e das circunstâncias abertas com o golpe de 2016, que impôs uma inflexão ultraliberal ao País. Defendemos, por fim, que, após esse golpe, o “caráter antinacional do urbano” foi radicalizado e que sua compreensão pode se beneficiar do resgate do debate sobre a urbanização dependente.

Governança adaptativa: desafio para regiões metropolitanas brasileiras

Abstract The purpose of this article is to present a theoretical discussion about the institutional dimension of the concept of adaptive governance. We discuss examples of this institutional dimension based on an analysis of the limits to the implementation of adaptive governance in Brazilian metropolises, based on: 1) the financial resources available to the environmental management of municipalities belonging to metropolitan regions; 2) the creation of an institutional arrangement for climate governance in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Despite the incremental aspect, the analyzed data indicate the low fiscal relevance of the environmental issue, as well as difficulties in implementing governance arrangements that succeed in providing transversal planning capacity, mechanisms for the integrated action of different agents, and incentives to an enhanced participatory dynamics in the formulation and implementation of climate policies.

Evaluation of the Minimum Number of Local Driving Cycles Required to Represent the Traffic of Distinct Cities: A Case Study of Two Brazilian Metropolises

This study aimed to determine whether a single local driving cycle (LDC) can effectively represent different cities in the same country, in both urban and highway routes, and for cars and motorcycles. To achieve this, experienced drivers drove different monitored vehicles (five cars and three motorcycles) on seven selected routes in two Brazilian states (Pernambuco and São Paulo State), collecting 170 h of speed data in urban and highway routes during peak and off-peak hours. Using the micro-trip and Markov chain methods, LDCs were then developed based on the collected real-world data. The kinematic and energy parameters of different route groupings were compared, revealing that two LDCs, one for cars and one for motorcycles, could be used to represent all urban routes. However, each highway route required a unique LDC. When compared with standard driving cycles adopted in Brazil, the created LDCs presented a coefficient of variation of 13%–46% in kinematic characteristic parameters, highlighting the need for developing LDCs to better represent Brazilian traffic.

Land policy by other means: democracy and the military in contemporary urban Brazil

This paper explores the relationship between Armed Forces commands and the land market in Brazilian metropolises. Given the importance of the urban dimension, the research sheds light on agents usually invisibilized by the literature in an attempt to understand their role in land policy. The practices, meanings, and outcomes of these actions reflect themselves in the decision-making conditions that characterize the field of Brazilian democracy. By establishing a dialogue with the notion that war is the continuation of politics by other means, we present and analyze land policies as continued by war operators. As we analyze military management practices and commodification of public areas, we find the city’s production dynamics galvanized by Army generals. Beyond security, surveillance, and population control, the Armed Forces have carried out a complex set of strategies regarding the occupation of cities, fueling the debate on the nature of democracy underway in contemporary Brazil.

Land policy by other means: democracy and the military in contemporary urban Brazil

This paper explores the relationship between the Armed Forces and the land market in Brazilian metropolises. Highlighting the important of the urban dimensions of this relationship, this research sheds light on agents usually invisibilized by the literature in an attempt to understand their role in land policy. The practices, meanings, and outcomes of the Armed Forces’ involvement is reflectedin the decision-making conditions that characterize Brazilian democracy. By establishing a dialogue with a well-known aphorism from Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz, that war is the continuation of politics by other means, we present and analyze land policies as continued by war operators. As we analyze military management practices and the commodification of public spaces, we find the city’s production dynamics are galvanized by Army generals. Beyond security, surveillance, and population control, the Armed Forces have carried out a complex set of strategies regarding the occupation of cities, fueling debates around the nature of democracy underway in contemporary Brazil.

CO2 storage potential of offshore oil and gas fields in Brazil

CO2 storage is an important climate change mitigation strategy and a relevant part of the storage activity results from selecting the most suitable geological regions. Brazil's size and international economic participation justify the global interest in its emission mitigation actions. The use of depleted oil and gas fields presents several advantages such as availability of technical data, economic aspects, partially available infrastructure, and lower environmental impacts. Therefore, this article presents an estimate of 85 Brazilian offshore oil and gas fields' storage capacity, linking available infrastructure and CO2 emissions location criteria. These fields have the potential to store at least 1040 MtCO2 and can go up to 3121 MtCO2. The biggest Brazilian metropolises are on the coast with high levels of CO2 emissions, and therefore allocating offshore fields to dispose of these gases favours shorter transport distances. The use of the storage capacity analysis associated with information on emissions and infrastructure availability are criteria that can assist in selecting the most suitable regions for CO2 storage in the Brazilian offshore area.

Heterotopías y heterocronías: los desafíos de la etnografía de la duración en las ciudades brasileñas (diálogos con Michel Foucault).

The article talks about the “heterotopias” and “heterochronias” based on studies of ethnography of duration (Eckert & Rocha, 2013b) in the context of large Brazilian metropolises. We propose a reflection especially in relation to the work Des espaces autres (1967) by Michel Foucault (1984) in which the author criticizes the cumulative conception of time for the understanding of the contemporary world. According to the author, the current epoch is more related to space than to the accumulation of time, because the experiences of juxtaposition and simultaneity are opposed to the experiences of linear and progressive time proposed by the modern epistème. In opposition to the use of heterotopias as a way of neglecting the importance of “heterochronias”, this writing proposes a critical incorporation of Foucault's heterotopology into the studies of the ethnography of duration in contemporary urban spaces.

Espraiamento urbano e seus impactos nas desigualdades socioespaciais da acessibilidade ao trabalho em Fortaleza

O espraiamento urbano é um fenômeno comum nas metrópoles brasileiras. A população de alta renda conduz um processo de autossegregação socioespacial que, combinado à periferização de segmentos de baixa renda, tem contribuído para o agravamento da problemática das desigualdades na acessibilidade às atividades urbanas. Esta pesquisa exploratória buscou investigar os efeitos do espraiamento residencial urbano sobre os níveis de acessibilidade às oportunidades de emprego em Fortaleza, e como esses efeitos impactam de forma desigual os distintos grupos socioeconômicos. Para tanto, propôs-se uma representação conceitual dessa problemática e sua caracterização a partir da definição e territorialização de indicadores agregados de uso do solo e de acessibilidade aos postos de trabalho. Os resultados apontam processos de descentralização distintos por grupo de renda, com distribuições desiguais e não equânimes do acesso às oportunidades de empregos, configurando Fortaleza como uma produção de duas cidades díspares e segregadas, a dos ricos e a dos pobres.

Financeirização, governança urbana e poder empresarial nas cidades brasileiras

Resumo A financeirização da economia global e suas múltiplas consequências têm sido cada vez mais discutidas pela literatura especializada, sobretudo após a grande crise mundial de 2007-2008. Nesse contexto, a relação entre mercados financeiros e os setores tradicionalmente produtores do espaço urbano se demonstra particularmente relevante para a compreensão dos rumos tomados pelo desenvolvimento das cidades no início do século XXI. Estaria havendo o surgimento de uma coalizão urbano-imobiliário-financeira, que se torna hegemônica ao direcionar tal desenvolvimento. A presente pesquisa busca um melhor entendimento dessa coalizão, de seu poder nos municípios e, sobretudo, de suas variações territoriais. Para tanto, são analisados dados relativos a doações eleitorais, indicando predomínio daqueles agentes ligados à acumulação urbana somente nas principais metrópoles brasileiras.

Self-organized initiatives: a planners’ subversive tool for fragmented urban spaces

ABSTRACT This article investigates whether self-organized initiatives are able to undermine the underlying dynamics of spatial fragmentation in Brazilian metropolises by promoting social connections between groups that are extremely diverse. Since self-organized initiatives not only promote spatial connections but also social connections between different groups, the central question here is: To what extent can self-organized initiatives promote social connection in the public spaces of highly fragmented and unequal urban contexts? The analysis was based on data collected from 22 in-depth interviews with members of self-organized initiatives, experts as well as field observations during some actions of the initiatives. The interviews were conducted in Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo during two months of fieldwork. The results show that the self-organized initiatives studied were capable to mitigate conflicts and to create social connections. Nevertheless, it is still unclear how strong and long-lasting these social connections are.

Proposta de um sistema de bicicletas compartilhadas: análise do espaço público da cidade de Campos dos Goytacazes

Parte da população das metrópoles brasileiras enfrenta diariamente congestionamentos no trânsito, principalmente em horários de maior fluxo. O tempo dispensado em engarrafamentos pode causar transtornos à saúde dos cidadãos, afetando a qualidade de vida, o meio ambiente e a economia. Uma das alternativas em constante avanço são os sistemas de bicicletas compartilhadas, que permitem a locação de uma bicicleta durante um determinado intervalo de tempo. O município de Campos dos Goytacazes, localizado no Norte do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, também enfrenta a problemática dos engarrafamentos além de não oferecer alternativas de transporte público de qualidade aos seus cidadãos. Por este motivo, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo geral mapear locais viáveis na área central, da cidade, para instalação de um sistema de bicicletas compartilhadas como complemento para transporte público. Utilizando-se dos critérios e orientações do Guia de Planejamento de Sistemas de Bicicletas Compartilhadas do Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) e o conceito de Pólos geradores de viagens, foram identificados 30 locais estratégicos na área central da cidade. Para maior adesão de usuários de bicicletas na mobilidade urbana na cidade de Campos dos Goytacazes, faz-se necessário investimento e vontade do poder público. Um sistema de bicicletas compartilhadas contribuiria para a promoção e expansão do ciclismo. Os locais sugeridos levam a uma reflexão de como esses espaços poderiam ser reutilizados e explorados para lazer e transporte, redemocratizando o acesso à cidade.

Cumulative (and self-reinforcing) spatial inequalities: Interactions between accessibility and segregation in four Brazilian metropolises

The inequalities that mark global society have been deepening worldwide. They materialize in cities, putting pressure on public transport systems for spatial and temporal supply, at the same time as mobility itself generates multifaceted inequalities. From empirical evidence of four socially and spatially distinct Brazilian cities — São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, and Fortaleza — we explore how differences in scale, geography, class, and race are related to spatial segregation, leading to different levels of access to jobs by public transport in the global peripheral context. These juxtaposed and combined inequalities create highly unfair and strongly cumulative effects on some social groups, contributing to the reproduction of inequality. Based on public and open data and combining methodologies of spatial analysis to enhance comparability and reproducibility, we explore different areal units, time thresholds, and metrics in order to examine transport inequalities in different urban contexts and refine our results. Upper classes have higher accessibility than lower classes, whites have higher accessibility than blacks, and large cities are more unequal than smaller ones. However, racial inequalities combine and overlap with class and city inequalities, changing these dichotomic notions when multiple dimensions are considered. The groups that polarize social hierarchy also polarize the urban space, since the white upper class and the black lower class are more segregated, but the way segregation interacts with accessibility is not straightforward and varies according to the socio-spatial structure.

O documentário Megalópolis como veículo de memória

O documentário Megalópolis (Leon Hirszman, 1973) aborda o período em que se iniciou uma acelerada modernização em metrópoles brasileiras, especialmente em São Paulo e no Rio de Janeiro no início dos anos 1970. Com características didáticas e expositivas, o filme revela como deveria se dar o crescimento metropolitano no país atrelado ao modelo estadunidense. Tendo por norte a discussão sobre o documentário como um veículo de memória (Waterson, 2007), buscamos revelar o potencial de Megalópolis como documento e fonte historiográfica por meio de três aspectos que nele se sobressaem: americanização, nacionalismo e consumo. Para tanto, discutimos como a acelerada modernização e a urbanização irracional impostas pelo regime militar são retratadas num documentário dirigido por um cineasta de convicções marxistas, o que revela o potencial de ampliação das discussões em torno deste documentário.