A produção do espaço na metrópole manauara: vida de bairro e o cotidiano na cidade como negócio

Abstract

The contemporary city has been produced under the logic of commodification, in which the urban space ceases to be primarily a place of life to become a means of valuing capital. In this context, urbanization is understood as a dynamic and contradictory process, marked by flows, reconfigurations and social disputes, according to the perspective of critical urban theory. In this text, we propose a critical analysis of the socio-spatial transformations of the city of Manaus, taking as a central axis the relationship between capitalist urbanization and the functional redefinition of neighborhoods. The city starts to operate as a commodity, subordinating the use value to the exchange value, which directly impacts urban life and the right to the city. In the case of Manaus, the urbanization process has specificities linked to its historical formation and the role of the Free Trade Zone, which drove a fragmented and uneven urban expansion. This dynamic resulted in the concentration of investments in certain areas, while others were relegated to socio-spatial marginalization. The Nossa Senhora das Graças neighborhood is analyzed as a cutout, as it represents a strategic space in the Center-South zone of the city, where processes of real estate appreciation and urban reconfiguration are intensified. From the 1990s onwards, the neighborhood underwent significant transformations, with the expansion of commercial activities, verticalization and functional diversification. These changes altered not only the urban landscape, but also the daily lives of residents, impacting social practices, neighborhood relations, and forms of sociability. The neighborhood, previously characterized as a space of coexistence and identity, is now appropriated as a commodity, inserted in the logic of the real estate market. The State plays an important role in this process, by enabling infrastructures, regulations and policies that favor the valorization of urban space. Thus, an articulation between public power and private interests is observed, which contributes to the reproduction of socio-spatial inequalities. The commodification of urban space causes the disintegration of neighborhood life, reducing living spaces and weakening social bonds. However, this research also points to the existence of resistances and practices that seek to preserve identity and the sense of belonging. Finally, we propose a reflection on the limits of capitalist urbanization and the need to build alternatives that prioritize the social use of space and the right to the city.