STUDY OF THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE RELATIONSHIPS OF USES AND (DIS)APPROPRIATIONS BETWEEN THE POPULATION OF CAMPINA GRANDE AND THE PARQUE EVALDO CRUZ, BASED ON ORAL HISTORY
Keywords: Public Space, Appropriation, Perception and Memory
This research emphasizes a theme whose reflections and analyzes are based on the relationship between man and space in central areas, having the urban park as a reference. It reflects a concern, of a growing problem in our cities, the gradual loss of public spaces for coexistence, meetings and leisure. The Evaldo Cruz Park (PEC), the study universe for this research, is located in the Centro de Campina Grande - PB, was widely used and appropriated by the population until the mid-1990s, when the area began to decline. It is a well-located public space, located in a strongly integrated core of the city, has good physical and urban structure, with good potential for use, offering areas for permanence, bordered by urban equipment that attract a large number of people daily, however, it has low levels of use and appropriation by the population. Given this situation, in which the park loses its importance within the social context of the city, the question is: According to the perception of former users, how did the process of transformation of the relations of uses and appropriations between the population of Campinas and the PEC take place? The general objective of this work is to tell the history of Evaldo Cruz Park, focusing on the transformations in the relations of use and appropriation that have taken place over time, based on oral history. The specific objectives are: (1) To discuss recent issues about the socio-spatial transformations that involve public space in the contemporary city, having the urban park as a reference; (2) Present the Evaldo Cruz Park according to historical aspects and its physical characteristics; (3) Describe the transformations in the relations of uses and appropriations that took place in the Evaldo Cruz park over time, based on the memory and perception of its users; (4) Point out paths that can guide future revitalization projects in the area. For this case study, knowledge of the past was perceived from reports of the present, transmitted orally, through the narratives of different generations. As sources of evidence for the case study were used oral history, document analysis and observation in loco, and as a method of data analysis, content analysis of Bardin (1977). Based on the analyses, three categories were created: (1) Golden years and ancient uses of the Evaldo Cruz Park; (2) Decay of Parque Evaldo Cruz and its new uses and users; and (3) From the golden years to the future of Parque Evaldo Cruz. When discussing each category, the socio-spatial transformations that the PEC went through over the years were reported, from a space widely used by the population to a space with low levels of appropriation. From this, it was possible to understand why the park is in this situation of abandonment, going beyond the discourse that “the place is very dangerous”. There is a social, political and economic process behind the decay of the traditional central areas of cities, beyond just physical problems.