Between the public and the private: agents and strategies of spaces appropriation in Belém--Pará riverside (Brazil)

Abstract

Belém-Pará City is almost completely surrounded by water. One of the most representative spaces of the interaction between the rivers and the city is its riverside. A characterization of this space is defined by historical process of structuring of city itself, as well as by urban agents and their strategies of spaces appropriation presented in that specific area. In this context, this paper intents to discuss the urban space production in Belém-Pará riverside, giving attention to following objectives: 1) to identify the agents of space production in the riverside, analyzing their importance and the role of social and spatial processes that are presented there. 2) To analyze the types of appropriation and use land at the riverside and their repercussions for the social and spatial structuring of city, taking into consideration the public and private dimensions of the urban space.