Between stigma and the experience of place: perceptions of fear and urban insecurity in the Santo Antônio neighborhood, Mossoró/RN
Perception; Fear; Sense of Insecurity; Urban Studies Medium-Sized City; Stigmatization; Experience of Place.
This study does not address a new phenomenon. Fear and insecurity constitute inherent dimensions of human experience and have accompanied societies throughout their historical trajectories in different forms. Manifestations of fear and insecurity do not occur homogeneously; rather, they vary according to historical, social, spatial, and economic contexts. In the context of medium-sized cities, for instance, these manifestations assume particular configurations, as fear does not necessarily emerge with the same intensity or complexity observed in metropolitan areas, but is instead mediated by urban scale, forms of sociability marked by greater interpersonal recognition among individuals, and more everyday relationships with public spaces.
In this context, Santo Antônio, a lower- and middle-income neighborhood in Mossoró and the empirical field of this research, presents distinct social and spatial characteristics that shape perceptions of fear and insecurity. These range from dense and heterogeneous occupation patterns, including residential and service uses integrated with the central urban fabric, paved streets, wide sidewalks, and the presence of public facilities, to patterns of expansion and vertical growth characterized by homogeneity, low urban vitality, and the absence of public facilities.
Therefore, this research seeks to contextualize fear and insecurity through different lived experiences of place. Methodologically, this is a predominantly qualitative and descriptive study, based on observational and documentary analyses, as well as semi-structured interviews conducted with neighborhood residents.