Entre caminhos e avenidas : a produção do espaço e os (re)desenhos do Conjunto Habitacional Feira VII em Feira de Santana – Bahia (1995 – 2024)

Abstract

This research investigates the Feira VII Housing Complex, located in the city of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. To this end, the study follows an analytical path that begins with the historical trajectory of public housing developments in Brazil, as well as the housing policies that shaped their implementation. Subsequently, it draws on the studies of Horacio Capel (1974) and Roberto Lobato Corrêa (2005) to examine the process of implantation of the housing complex, identifying the spatial production agents involved in its conception, along with their political and economic interests. Finally, the research analyzes the spatial transformations carried out by residents over time, a process understood in this study as spatial redesign. These analyses are grounded in the contributions of Kevin Lynch (2006) and Jan Gehl (2015), whose theoretical frameworks provide the necessary basis for interpreting urban design and the urban landscape. In order to address the multiple dimensions involved: historical, political, social, and spatial — an interdisciplinary perspective was adopted, incorporating theoretical contributions from architecture, urbanism, geography, history, sociology, and philosophy. Based on these objectives, the following methodological procedures were employed: bibliographic research, documentary analysis, and fieldwork, including direct observation, field notes, photographic records, and the production of maps and drawings. The findings indicate that the original design of the housing complex, although consistent with the historical context of its conception in the 1990s, presents a conceptual rigidity that materializes in several inadequacies. Among these are the insufficient dimensions of streets and sidewalks, the limited number of parking spaces, and the absence of appropriate areas for waste disposal. Such characteristics have generated everyday challenges for the local population, who, in turn, have responded to these shortcomings through spatial redesign practices. These practices constitute a dynamic and recurring social process through which identities and everyday needs are inscribed into the territory. Therefore, based on this evidence, the study advocates for an approach to urban planning capable of anticipating and incorporating the inevitability of spatial redesign processes, as well as promoting urban qualification projects through dialogue among the community, technical professionals, and public authorities. This approach aims to foster urban spaces characterized by vitality and sensitivity to future forms of appropriation.