O território e suas relações sociais: conflitos e a disputa por interesses na comunidade de Chão de Estrelas, Recife, PE

Abstract

The trajectory between the moment of relocation and resettlement of families from the Irmã Terezinha Housing Complex in Recife reveals a scenario of conflicting interests involving the State and the population. On one side, there is the public authority, managing on behalf of the Sanitation Secretariat - SESAN, and on the other side, the community leaders and residents along the Beberibe River in Chão de Estrelas, waiting for the housing units - UHs. Chão de Estrelas is spatially situated within this disputed territory and subject to infrastructure intervention in the sanitation works of the Beberibe PAC UE 21 - Sewage Treatment Unit, within the urban area of the city. The resettlement of the 69 houses in the complex, delivered between 2014 and 2018, was marked by aspirations and uncertainties regarding the manner in which the residents were relocated, lacking clarity on the criteria for prioritizing families, as well as the absence of a guarantee of staying in their place of origin and building their social relationships: their neighborhood. However, interactions between residents, community leaders, and technicians during the relocation process (from community to housing complex) took place amid tensions within the same territory. This defines the characteristics and roles of urban social actors and the specifics of shaping the living space. Therefore, the objective of this work is to comprehend the implications of urban social conflicts in the management of the space of social reproduction, contributing to discussions about the right to housing and housing access policies. The Socioterritorial Registry, family relocation, and the present day define the temporal scope and allow for the reconstruction of the housing resettlement trajectory. A triangulation of methods was used to gather empirical information: 1 - Database Research (institutional websites, laws, records, and official documents); 2 - Interviews with public administration officials and community leaders and Focus Groups with the residents' committee; and 3 - Ethnographic Elements, through participant observation, based on descriptive principles to conduct a reflective analysis of the actions undertaken in the lived environment. The combination of these research techniques and data collection methods provided comprehensive information and increased the study's credibility within a multifaceted reality. A reality that confirmed the different forces at play and the connections among various actors in the context of contention during the resettlement process of the Irmã Terezinha Housing Complex, highlighting points of reflection based on discourses and perceptions relevant to the expression of power relations in the territory. These dynamics played a significant role in shaping approaches to meet the housing needs of the population and in the appropriation of living conditions.