Introduction
Internationally recognized for its immense wealth of natural resources, the Brazilian Amazon Region and its enormous forest are characterized by significant urban conflicts. The growth of illegal settlements in Amazon cities is a sad reality that has transformed the region’s space. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate part of my doctorate investigation in which I present the squatter-settlement development process (called favelização) of wetlands in the city of Macapá where there is intense occupation of environmental protection areas for precarious housing construction. Also by virtue of such phenomenon, the Federal University of Amapá, via its extension project called “Planning with the Community,” has been seeking to answer some questions relating to informal urbanization processes and their effects on communities living in ressaca areas.
One might say that there are several Amazons: one consisting of the forest and Amazon River tributaries; the indigenous Amazon, where there are environmental protection areas; the dense forest; and the urban Amazon Region, the subject matter of this article, which is the result of development promises connected to the formation of new territories…
+ Download Bianca Moro de Carvalho’s whole working paper (pdf – 605 KB -)
+ Download Bianca Moro de Carvalho’s whole working paper (pdf – 605 KB – Portuguese)