Condomínios fechados: a produção habitacional contemporânea e a auto-exclusão dos ricos no espaço urbano de Natal RN (1995 2003)

The present work analyzes the fast evolution of gated communities in Natal-RN´s urban space. Characterized by the occupation of large areas, providing private security and utilities, this kind of real estate use arises a long list of questions and issues from society and scholars, due to privatization of urban space, bending of law constraints and the lack of an integrated planning of the cities where they are built. The reasons for its fast growth in Brazil s urban areas are analyzed, considering the impact on formal urban planning and municipal services and on the identification of urbanistic, architectural pattern and constraints, as well as legal, social and economic issues. This study is based on the detailed analysis of the first three units of gated communities built in the urban space in Natal, between 1995 and 2003, including their evolution throughout time and the specific social and economic reasons for its present widespread adoption in Brazilian real estate market and, particulary, in our city. The main objective of this piece of work is to answer the why s and how s these phenomena evolved, setting a basis for the definition of adequate public policies and regulation of this kind of urban land use

Depois das fronteiras: a formação dos espaços de pobreza na periferia norte de Natal-RN

The periphery of the city of Natal was built during the last 20 years, trough informal land developments. This dissertation analyses the urbanization of Natal`s North Zone, the largest residential area in the city where 40% of the population lives. This urban space is characterized as a space of poverty because of its majority of low income dwellers as well as lack of infrastructure. The main objective here is to identify and characterize this space as well as resulting segregation. Variables as income, space morphology, residential typology and the history of real estate development as well as dweller`s history of life are analysed

Uma cidade em transformação: a influência da atividade do crediário nas mudanças da paisagem urbana de Tenente Ananias-RN

Studies on the urban landscape and on the changes of the urban space are relevant, since they reveal the economic dynamics and the way of life in the cities. Research on small towns, in particular, can display particular aspects and by so doing broaden the comprehension of this theme. The purpose of this research is to analyze the changes in the urban landscape and in the way of life of the inhabitants of the town of Tenente Ananias-RN that have been taking place since the 1990s up to the present (2013) and which result mainly from the commercial activity of crediário. The study is, therefore, a reflection on the impact of crediário economy on the urban landscape and on the way of life of a small town located in the hinterland of the State of Rio Grande do Norte. For this reason, it was necessary to study the landscape and the way of life found in Tenente Ananias in two moments: a) before the rise of the crediário, a period of time ranging from the town‟s initial emergence until the beginning of the 1990s; b) during the progress of crediário activity, from the beginning of the 1990s, when it starts, up to the present (2013). For this research, primary data (interviews, local survey visits) and secondary data (books, articles, reports, census data) were used. As a result of this study, it was possible to conclude that crediário plays a fundamental role for the explanation of the changes taking place in Tenente Ananias-RN, especially in the urban landscape and in the way of life of people. We have attempted, through this research, to contribute to the studies of a historical, social and economic process related to the urban landscape and space of a small town in the State of Rio Grande do Norte

Espaço público e sociabilidade urbana: apropriações e significados dos espaços públicos na cidade contemporânea

Study public space is studying the city and its dynamics through a representation point. The changes that are observed in these spaces and in the relations established there, or with it, are related to changes that occurred in the city as a whole, in the urban way of living. Study public space allied to urban sociability permits an even better focus on this relation between people in these spaces and with the spaces and in the consequences and fragile aspects this relation can impose to people and cities. This work is aimed towards this relation between public space and urban sociability. Through a conceptual/theoretical discussion aims, specifically, comprehend how to establish and what is the relation between urban space and urban sociability (appropriation/perception of place, tendencies of seclusion), from an isolated analysis of each one of these themes in the contemporaneous city. The Brazilian public space has peculiar characteristics, arising from its historical process of construction, also influenced by the public sphere fragile construction that permeates it, as well as more recent variables such as the sensation of insecurity and commodification of these places. The urban sociability influences and is influenced along all this process of significance and reframing of the public space. The conceptual discussion about each isolate variable provides the necessary coverage for discussion and analysis of the relation between them and the consequence of this relation in the city, such as the notation of relevant experiences of this process of revaluation of the public space. The hereby search is not through a path to reestablish the relation as it already existed, but also for an understanding of the dynamic as is established today and for existing possibilities for maintenance and appreciation of the relation between people and the city by believing in its importance to urban life

Geografia da dominação: um estudo sobre a organização espacial da terra do sal (Macau-RN)

This work aims to understand the spatial organization in the Town of Macau, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. This approach focus on bringing back the history of the town, the main personages responsible for the construction of this place, denominated "social agents", as well as its social processes and the spatial forms derived from them. As the personages and their practices were identified, it was found out the existence of a driving force for structuring, interlocking, and maintaining the actions carried out by the social agents during the time. Such actions were materialized in the urban space: "the social segregation". The social segregation takes place as a specific geography of domination. The outcome of those owning the best areas" and ways of accessibility in the urban space, varies from the enrichment by property valorization, because of the concentration of public investments of infrastructure, to the comfort of easily reaching all the daily needs related to the displacements in the urban space. In the latter case, such facility has contributed to improve life quality. While one takes advantage of the location in the urban space, others are negatively affected by the same process. This research identified the salina worker as the weakest element of this social structure, occupying the urban periphery of the town of Macau. Such area is characterized by the lack of services and urban equipment in opposition to the center of the town, the locus of elite. This way, it is established the most known segregation pattern: center x periphery, in which the space acts as a mechanism of segregation

Ventilação e prescrições urbanísticas: uma aplicação simulada no bairro de Petrópolis em Natal/RN

The present work studies the natural ventilation and its relationship with the urban standards, which establishes the form of occupation and use of the land in our cities. The method simulates the application of the urban standards of the City Master Plan over the last three years. The simulation takes place in the District of Petrópolis, in the city of Natal , Brazil and analyses the effects of the standards of natural ventilation. The formulated hypothesis states that the reductions in the urban spaces between buildings rises up the vertical profile of ventilation, reducing, therefore, the velocity of the wind at the lower levels of the buildings. To develop the study, occupation models were built, using computerized, three-dimensional models. These occupation models were analyzed using the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code. The conclusion is that the more we reduce the urban space between buildings, the more we reduce the wind speed in constructed areas, increasing, therefore, the possibility to generate heat islands

Entre o cartão-postal e a cidade real: um estudo sobre paisagem e produção imobiliária em Natal/RN

Recent studies concerning the landscape have investigated the most important activities that contribute for its modification and have tried to better understand the society through the marks left by its quotidian. It is understood that singular landscapes constitute the cultural patrimonies of the cities, once they are part of the daily life of the citizens and are present in their social representations. Some contemporary authors defend the preservation of the natural and urban landscape trying, specially, to keep its importance for the local population. Natal is a city where the ambient qualities are well defined and known by the beauty of the area where it is located. Situated just between a river and the sea, the city grew following its geographic characteristics. The Potengi River, the Atlantic Ocean and the vast dunes ecosystem represented natural limits to the urban expansion; at the same time they have favored the development of a landscape pattern marked by the dialectic between the natural elements and the human interventions. However, this relationship changed after the intensification of the high rising development process that took place since the 1960s. The urban legislation tried to preserve the features of the local landscape delimiting Areas for Controlling Building High , destined to protect the scenic value of some parts of the city. On the other hand, the civil construction sector has made constant pressure in sense to abolish or to modify this legal instrument, aiming profits that have increased, in the 1990s, because of the consumption and the qualification of the urban space for tourist activities. It is necessary the raising of new elements to stimulate the quarrel about the landscape preservation, the process of the urban space production and the best way for the legislation implementation. This work tries to raise elements about the subject at local level, in sense to use Natal City experience to contribute for the formulation of indicators to raise the question about the lack of measure for subjective values, for example the cultural and affective value of the landscape. The natural elements inserted in the urban profile, represent strong visual references and supply identity to the town; they are part of the collective imaginary and are detached in the social context of the city. Then, why the preservation of the landscape, that estimates the improvement in the quality of life, is not enough to justify the controlling building high already previewed as part of Natal City Legislation? These questions send us to the approach of the landscape, as a community patrimony, alerting that some of its significant esthetics attributes must be preserved as a legacy for the future generations

Padronização e flexibilidade: proposta de um edifício tipo para uma escola técnica profissionalizante

Nowadays the acquisition of sustainable elements and concepts in construction has been increasingly discussed, improved and incorporated to buildings, since the sector directly interferes in the urban space and environment, representing environmental impact. In order to make a sustainable building (Green Building) it is vital to incorporate less damaging constructive practice, starting from the project until the operation of the enterprise, that means to consider an integrated process of conception, implementation, construction and operation. The more effective sustainable principles participation in architecture happens at the projecting step through minimal environment impact solutions. Among the issues varieties that goes with sustainability proposal of the buildings project, there were added to this work the elements that are directly attached to bioclimatic architecture, more specifically the climate variation, ventilation, lighting and sunlight, that directly affect the project conception. It is important to put in evidence that architecture role goes far beyond the simple activity of building spaces; it is the sequence of political, economic, social and cultural elements, having the users as the main apparatus to its materialization. Thereby this professional dissertation consists of an architecture draft for a professional and technological school in the Rio Grande do Norte State, this dissertation is based on the analysis of previous experience and the bioclimatic principles that implicate in building on hot and dry, hot and humid climates, and the use of strategic solutions that aim the optimization of natural light and ventilation