Segregação Socioespacial e Programa "Minha Casa, Minha Vida" : uma análise do Residencial Pequis em Uberlândia-MG

Abstract

This work was developed in the research line “Geography and Territory Management”, which covers studies on urban spaces and their dynamics. It was designed to investigate the relationship between the “Minha Casa, Minha Vida” Program and the process of socio-spatial segregation. In order to do that, we delineated the research with the general objective of analyzing the socio-spatial segregation of the low-income population in “Pequis”, a neighborhood in Uberlândia-MG, which resulted from the “Minha Casa, Minha Vida” Program. This investigation was grounded on the following specific objectives: characterize the community facilities in the neighborhood and the socioeconomic profile of the local population; evaluate the impacts the creation of the neighborhood had in the allotments and neighborhoods nearby as well as in the urban configuration of the west part of the city; verify the changes in the landscape and in the dynamics of the neighborhood since its creation and understand the meaning and social implications of the segregation process the Pequis population has experienced. A study with this configuration is useful as it allows for an expansion on the reflections on the social inequalities present in the urban environment, especially in Uberlândia and, thus, it contributes to the outlining of public initiatives aimed at making cities less unequal spaces. For this investigation, not only the bibliographic review of books and scientific articles were considered relevant, but also the field visits, which were essential for the survey of photographic records, as well as for the experimentation of the study area and other on-site observations. Moreover, in order to reach the aims we had set, we carried out an investigation of official city documents and other public institutions files, and conducted a semi-structured interview with locals. The results show that socio-spatial segregation is a reality that is common to the “Minha Casa, Minha Vida” Program projects, which are aimed at low-income families both in Uberlândia and in other regions of the country. And this situation is not exclusive to this program, as previous initiatives have also used this strategy. It was also clear that due to the overvaluation of the best located regions of the city, the government, while seeking to fulfill its role in the production of housing, ends up subordinating itself to market interests in terms of choosing places to install housing alternatives. This makes the low-income families’ inclusion difficult and jeopardizes the fight against social inequalities. On the other hand, despite having the notion that they live in a location which is unprivileged and lacks public equipment and services, the inhabitants of Residencial Pequis feel pleased with the purchase of their own home, which, to a certain extent, is able to make them overcome all the other difficulties of living in a peripheral neighborhood.