Ruas a pé: as dimensões espacial e social de ruas exclusivas para pedestres na área central de João Pessoa

Abstract

Streets represent, in their symbolic essence, a democratic space, for sharing uses, actors, ideas. This dissertation investigates the typology of streets destined exclusively for pedestrians – or pedestrian streets. In them, all space is prioritized for displacements on foot and the possibilities of appropriation are expanded, in addition for circulation, to remain. Then, 17 segments of streets are investigated, divided into 3 categories: (i) stretches pedestrianized by public policies; (ii) alleys and (iii) streets incorporated into plazas, all located in the central area of the city of João Pessoa, addressed by the different spatialities of its pedestrian streets, which could be related to different responses of appropriation and urbanity, theoretical object of the research. The questions and objectives are interested in understanding the relationship between the spatial and social dimensions, between pedestrianization and pedestrian flow and appropriation. The methodological procedures follow literature review steps; documentary research; field survey, data processing and synthesis. The results showed that certain spatial characteristics (allied to pedestrianization) were positively correlated with the flow of pedestrians. Among these attributes, the following stand out: the physical and visual permeability of the facades, the presence of urban furniture and proximity to public transport boarding points. There were also spatial attributes that had a lower correlation with appropriation, among them the paving of the streets and the dimension of the court. At the end of the analyses, it was possible to understand that the disjointed pedestrianization of other characteristics of the spatial dimension does not potentially attract a greater flow of pedestrians and that urban space and the built environment can create instigations for the presence of pedestrians in the streets, while pedestrians can also adapt and overcome spatial discourtesy. The urbanity of these streets was perceived in different non-static expressions, mirrored by the multiple handlings and rearrangements, typical of the correspondences between spatial materiality and social immateriality.