Espaços livres e urbanidade: análise dos aspectos da praça como geradores de qualidade socioespacial urbana

Abstract

The square is one of the most significant urban public spaces, an important piece within the mosaic of urban form. It has historical and symbolic importance, contributing in a fundamental way to the human relations that develop in the city. Squares are distributed throughout the urban fabric, can have different configurations, can aggregate different uses and users, and it is understood that within the space of a single square there is a wealth of aspects that can and should be studied to understand how urbanity occurs of the region in which it is inserted. Through the analysis of three squares in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, this paper seeks to compare the various urbanities that can be generated due to the location of these spaces. Squares were chosen in different urban contexts and are quite different from each other, not only in their locations, but also in their formats and uses. The goal is to understand what factors influence urbanity. To perform the work, a bibliographic review was initially performed, followed by three methodological steps: morphological and spatial analysis of the surroundings and squares studied; observation of user behavior and application of questionnaires. It is expected that this work contribute to the discussion about the importance of squares as generators of urban quality and the understanding that they are significant elements in the constitution of urbanity present not only in city centers but also in the pericentral regions and the peripheries.