Small Cities in the Intermediate Region of Breves, Pará: Urban Growth, Infrastructure, and Environmental Issue

• Grant number: 23/10756-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Urban and Regional Planning
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Maria Fonseca da Costa
• Grantee: Sandra Maria Fonseca da Costa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (IP&D). Universidade do Vale do Paraíba (UNIVAP). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Eduardo Sonnewend Brondizio ; Monique Bruna Silva Do Carmo ; Viviana Mendes Lima
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/02600-2 - Technical support for database production, spatial data analysis, and map creation, BP.TT

Abstract

The process of occupation of the Amazon has always been linked to strategic interests, beginning with the construction of forts and the activities of religious orders - aimed at protecting the territory and manipulating indigenous communities - up to the period of implementation of large projects, after 1970 - focused on the integration of the territory and exploitation of natural resources. From these different processes, the development of urban space was established in a particular way. Cities have always been linked, in the Region, to the strategy of occupying space. Large, medium, or small, these cities have become strategic points of connection for the territory and settlement of the population. Understanding the diversity of this Amazonian urbanism is important for building inclusive public policies. More than 70% of these cities have fewer than 50 thousand inhabitants and are considered small cities. These cities have a relationship with the forest and river environment, linked to riverine culture, demonstrating a perception of abundance and non-finiteness of resources. At the same time, it is observed that the process of urbanization of the Amazon territory has, among its direct consequences, the limited participation of the theme in global agendas of urban sustainability. Considering the mentioned aspects, this project aims to study the dynamics of the small cities of the Intermediate Region (RegInt) of Breves, based on the evaluation of urban area growth in the last four decades (1984 to 2024), and the environmental implications of this growth, as well as understanding how residents perceive these changes and whether there have been improvements in the quality of life of these residents. The research aims to give visibility to this urbanism, through the discussion of urban growth and the environment, as well as capturing the perception of these residents about this dynamic. The research will be conducted in two stages: a) study of the urban growth of the 16 cities that make up the RegInt of Breves; b) studying, in more detail, 5 cities: Afuá, Ponta de Pedras, Cachoeira do Arari, Soure, and Chaves; which were selected based on the economic characteristics of the municipalities of which they are headquarters. Questionnaires will be applied to 1702 urban households, distributed among the cities studied, according to the number of existing households. The aim is to maintain a research network and continue contributing to the production of knowledge about the small cities of Marajó, which justifies this project. Our idea is to develop methodologies for studying small cities that encompass an understanding of urban functional dynamics, their regional insertions, as well as the refunctionalizations that small cities have undergone and their importance for residents, among other aspects. (AU)