Contra as Secas: a engenharia e as origens de um planejamento regional no nordeste brasileiro

Droughts surfaced in 1877 as a crucial problem for the birthing Brazilian nation. Engineers, who formed the country's technical and scientific elite, took it upon themselves to study, understand and fight the problem through planned actions of intervention on space. This work, based on proposals and discussions contained in engineering magazines and reports, aims to provide elements for the comprehension of how these systematized actions against droughts, in the Iate nineteenth and early twentieth century, contributed to spatial analysis and the formation of a (then-inexistent) regional and territorial planning discipline in Brazi!. Engineers, by taking up the position of masterminds in the country's modernization, guaranteed for themselves personal economic stability, social prestige and political power. By understanding nature, either as a resource to be exploited or an adversary to national progress, they contributed to the delimitation of the region now known as the Northeast. By seeking to understand the drought phenomenon, they created knowledge about the space they sought to intervene on; by constructing their projects amid political and economical difficulty, they changed the organizational structures of cities and country in the northeast. The proposals for açudes (Iarge water reservoirs) allowed the fixation of population and the resistance against droughts; the roads - railroads and automotive roadways - connected the sertão to the capitais and the coast, speeding up help to the affected populations during droughts and allowing the circulation of goods so as to strengthen the local economies in normal rimes. The adopted practices and techniques, adapted from foreign experience and developed through trial and improvement, were consolidated as an eminently spatial intervention course, even if a theoretical body of regional or territorial planning wasn't formed in Brazil. Regional Planning proper was first applied in the country in the Northeast itself, in the 1950s, based off an economical view of reality in order to achieve development. The engineer's work prior tothat date, however, cannot be dlsconsldered. It was proved that, despite facing financial and political hurdles, engineers had a profound commitment to the problem and intended to act systematically to transform the economical and social relations in the region, in order to be victorious in their struggle against droughts

Visitabilidade-vivenciabilidade em assentamentos informais : um estudo da acessibilidade de percursos urbanos no Conjunto Santa Terezinha em Fortaleza-CE

This research approaches the issue of accessibility in informal settlements, seeking for the challenges and limits defined by informal urban settings, about the application of accessibility parameters. Take the empirical universe as the Conjunto Santa Terezinha, located in Fortaleza- Ce. Initially, the study presents a reflection about the housing issue in Brazil and the informal settlementes in view of the Right to the City. In this sense, the main references are, the works of Suzanne Pasternak (2008), Nabil Bonduki (1998) and Erminia Maricato (1996-97), among others. Follows with the discussion of the concepts and classifications of this type of settlement, making a content analysis of legislation and regulations relating to accessibility and proposed the discussion of the accessible route as the right strategy for the city. In another step, the methodology of 'walking together' created by Dischinger (2000) was applied in a passage previously chosen, which the researcher follows the disabled person during the journey through city making records like photos and video. The comments and perceptions are compared to the spatial analysis of urban morphology, made from the method of Del Rio (1990) and Panerai (2006), and the parameters of NBR 9050. Knowledge of the area is enriched by the methodology of the production of space made by Henri Lefebvre in his book 'The production of space' (1974) with these categories: space conceived, perceived and lived. Another key reference of this author it s the book 'The Right to the City' (991), which allowed in-depth reflections on the social function of town. In conclusion, the study finds that to guarantee a minimum access conditions in informal sittlements it´s necessary to know the specifics of their morphology, their relations and urban practices in view of the visitability- experiencebility, describing it as complementary concepts

Arquitetura da (in)segurança: estudando relações entre configuração espacial, artifícios de segurança e violência urbana no bairro Manaíra, João Pessoa, Paraíba

João Pessoa, the capital city of the state of Paraíba (Northeast Brazil), is reputed throughout the country as a quiet place, although it has been acquiring, over the past years, an urban character with social implications similar to those of major metropolitan Brazilian areas. The new situation is evident by the social inequalities, with the creation of confined spaces, which segregate and cause enclosure of the inhabitants, leading to death the public space. This study correlates accessibility in spatial structure with two types of crime data, burglary and robbery, recorded in 2008 and 2009, by the Secretaria de Segurança da Paraíba (The government agency public in charge of safety), in the district of Manaíra, an upper middle class neighborhood, which has, in recent times, been considered one of the most violent areas in João Pessoa. Sought to understand connections between these events and morpho-social aspects of the built environment, where examined the spatial properties, such as accessibility of the urban net, the presence of control measures, the safety of buildings and their uses. Spatial properties were also validated by the observation of pedestrian flows at strategic points of the study area. It was concluded that the presence of intense flows helps to attract potential thieves, physical security and control offers little protection

Aparências da forma e forma do espaço: análise da configuração espacial de residências unifamiliares dos anos 1970 em João Pessoa PB

Assuming that the form of a building shell and its content the spatial form are distinct dimensions of architecture - however indivisible and interdependent -, this study focus, in the light of the Social Logic of Space (HILLIER; HANSON, 1984), on the intrinsic properties through which domestic space was structured in a sample of single-family dwellings built in João Pessoa (PB) during the 1970s - when the vocabulary of modern architecture still prevailed in Brazil though sharing the urban scene with other architectural trends -, in order to investigate regularities or divergences underlying their conception. These dwellings were originally classified (ARAÚJO, 2010a) in five categories defined according to the form of their building shells and to their prevailing construction techniques: (1) Brazilian modern legacy (considered as truly Brazilian modern style); (2) Paulista architecture (that refers to the modern production of São Paulo, Brazil, from the 1950s through the 1970s); (3) experiences of rationalization and prefabrication ; (4) experiences of adaptation to the climate (referring to a design strongly influenced by the hot and humid climate of North-eastern Brazil); and (5) hybrid (to account for a kind of stylistic hybridism that includes formal attributes, which evoke our colonial past). This study aims to determine, through the analyses of nineteen cases that represent each category, whether this taxonomy corresponds to distinct modes of spatial configuration. This research therefore proposes an approach to the classification of domestic architecture based on topological properties. The dwellings spatial organization was represented, quantified and analyzed, their spatial properties explored in consonance with one another and with the literature. Results pointed out that there is no evidence of a reciprocal relationship between the formal look of the built shells and their respective spatial structures

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

Acessibilidade no ambiente escolar: reflexões com base no estudo de duas escolas municipais de Natal-RN

This work was originated through the results of the analysis of the services for the needs of people with disabilities that were permitted by the physical space of two schools of the municipality of Natal/RN. The general objective/goal was to subsidize the elaboration of alternatives for the planning of environments that could be used by any person. The study used the empirical research through the adoption of a multimethod approach including: (i) technical visits oriented by the NBR 9050, (ii) contact with users that have reduced mobility (visually impaired and wheelchair or crutch users) through escorted travels and interviews, and (iii) interview with school managers. The evidence from the research, even though with significant development of laws that guarantee people with disabilities their right to citizenship, the physical environment of our schools still present with many obstacles that prevent the mobility of people with disabilities which proves their lack of readiness to accommodate them. Therefore, the actions taken to address the accessibility has been the adoption of temporary solutions that makes the adaptation more difficult, adds obstacles and reinforces the undesirable segregation, however still very present in our society. Finally, there is the indication that in order to achieve the spatial configuration that promotes social contact and integration in between the persons with different physical status, it is necessary to completely comprehend the activities developed in each space, from the conception of the equipment to the individual learning needs, having in mind creating environments that stimulates the execution of the tasks in an independent manner without the assistance of others. The inclusion regarding attention to accessibility in the decision making process, directed to the arquitectural and urban project, would decrease the constant need to redevelop and adapt spaces, and should be definitely incorporated as an important component in the production of space

Dramaturgia do aqui e agora: presença, recepção e sentido no corpo do ator

The actor is an actor during all the phases of creation and development of his character. (S) He goes beyond the moment of interpreting. In this sense, in her (his) daily life, the actor may use her (his) potential to extract from reality the necessary elements for the work of creation. This is a theoretical research which focus on the concept of presence in the actor s work, stretching the concept beyond the scene, encompassing different components such as the body, the word, the silence, the technique and the acting as the actor s stance in regards to his own reality. The objective of such stance is to integrate him (her) self in the environment, balancing his (hers) inner life with the outside life flow. To reach this objective, the research drew theoretical resources from the concept of presence in the actor s work according to BROOK, BARBA, GROTOWSKI and MNOUCHKINE and the studies on reception theory in ISER, 1996; GUMBRECHT, 2010. Thus, the dialogue between reader and actor high lights both as receivers in this work. A practical description of a street theater Kamchàtka show, featured by the Kamchàtka Company is used as an example of the research on the presence. The elements localized in this show are: play, listening, word, silence, meaning, relationship with here and now and the effects of the said presence

Eutrofização do reservatório Engenheiro Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves, no Rio Grande do Norte: implicações para o abastecimento público e para a piscicultura intensiva em tanques-rede

This study aimed to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of variation in trophic state and its relation with the structure and dynamics of planktonic community of a large reservoir located in semi-arid tropical region of Northeast Brazil. The reservoir Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves is the biggest reservoir of the Rio Grande do Norte State and is responsible for about 53% of all surface water accumulated in the State. The samples of water and plankton were taken monthly in 10 points distributed throughout the longitudinal axis of the reservoir and over a full hydrological cycle. The samples were collected to determine concentrations of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll a and suspended solids (fixed and volatile) and for determining the composition and abundance of phytoplanktonic and zooplanktonic species. During the study period, the reservoir was characterized as eutrophic and there was no trend of increasing the trophic state of the reservoir in the period of drought. The concentrations of total phosphorus and suspended fixed solids decreased towards the dam while the N:P ratios increased in the same direction due to the reduction in the phosphorus concentrations and relative constancy in the nitrogen concentrations. The N:P ratios observed were indicative of greater limitation by phosphorus than by nitrogen. However, as concentrations of both nutrients were high and the water transparency was very low, with secchi depth usually lower than one meter, it seems likely that the planktonic primary production of the reservoir is more limited by the availability of light than the availability of nutrients. High nutrient concentrations coupled with low availability of light may explain the continuing dominance of filamentous cyanobacteria such as Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in the plankton of the reservoir.These cyanobacteria are potentially toxic and pose a serious environmental problem because it compromises the water quality for public supply, recreation and fishing when present in high densities as in this study. The mesozooplankton of the reservoir was dominated by the calanoid Notodiaptomus cearensis and the cladoceran Diaphanosoma spinulosum. In general, the structure of zooplankton community seems to be particularly influenced by the spatial variation of cyanobacteria. The results of the regression analyses show that both the chlorophyll a concentrations and the cyanobacteria biovolume were more strongly correlated with the nitrogen than with phosphorus and that the water transparency was more strongly correlated with algal biomass than with other sources of turbidity. The maximum load of phosphorus to attain the maximum permissible concentration of total P in the reservoir was estimated in 63.2 tonnes P/ year. The current external P load to the reservoir is estimated in 324 tonnes P / year and must be severely reduced to improve the water quality for water supply and allow the implementation of aquaculture projects that could contribute to the socio-economic development of the region

Integração de modelos espaciais e temporais para predições de níveis freáticos extremos

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar cenários de níveis freáticos extremos, em bacia hidrográfica, por meio de métodos de análise espacial de dados geográficos. Avaliou-se a dinâmica espaço‑temporal dos recursos hídricos subterrâneos em área de afloramento do Sistema Aquífero Guarani. As alturas do lençol freático foram estimadas por meio do monitoramento de níveis em 23 piezômetros e da modelagem das séries temporais disponíveis de abril de 2004 a abril de 2011. Para a geração de cenários espaciais, foram utilizadas técnicas geoestatísticas que incorporaram informações auxiliares relativas a padrões geomorfológicos da bacia, por meio de modelo digital de terreno. Esse procedimento melhorou as estimativas, em razão da alta correlação entre altura do lençol e elevação, e agregou sentido físico às predições. Os cenários apresentaram diferenças quanto aos níveis considerados extremos - muito profundos ou muito superficiais - e podem subsidiar o planejamento, o uso eficiente da água e a gestão sustentável dos recursos hídricos na bacia.

Sistemas de informação geográfica e análise espacial de dados como ferramentas para determinação de agregação espacial de doenças: a hanseníase como modelo

This work demonstrates the importance of using tools used in geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis (SDA) for the study of infectious diseases. Analysis methods were used to describe more fully the spatial distribution of a particular disease by incorporating the geographical element in the analysis. In Chapter 1, we report the historical evolution of these techniques in the field of human health and use Hansen s disease (leprosy) in Rio Grande do Norte as an example. In Chapter 2, we introduced a few basic theoretical concepts on the methodology and classified the types of spatial data commonly treated. Chapters 3 and 4 defined and demonstrated the use of the two most important techniques for analysis of health data, which are data point processes and data area. We modelled the case distribution of Hansen s disease in the city of Mossoró - RN. In the analysis, we used R scripts and made available routines and analitical procedures developed by the author. This approach can be easily used by researchers in several areas. As practical results, major risk areas in Mossoró leprosy were detected, and its association with the socioeconomic profile of the population at risk was found. Moreover, it is clearly shown that his approach could be of great help to be used continuously in data analysis and processing, allowing the development of new strategies to work might increase the use of such techniques in data analysis in health care