O direito à cidade nas margens: fragmentação socioespacial e condições de mobilidade em bairro periférico de Montes Claros/MG

Abstract

The dissertation investigates how the unequal production of urban space conditions the access of peripheral populations to opportunities, services, and urban life itself. Taking the Residencial Sul neighborhood as its empirical focus, the study is grounded in the understanding that housing provision, when dissociated from infrastructure, transportation, and public facilities, is not sufficient in itself to guarantee the realization of the right to the city. The main objective is to analyze how sociospatial fragmentation is manifested in residents’ everyday mobility experiences, highlighting limits, strategies, and perceptions built from the concrete experience of the territory. Methodologically, the research adopts a quali- quantitative approach, combining a critical literature review on the production of urban space and mobility, analysis of municipal documents and legislation, and semi-structured interviews conducted with twenty neighborhood residents. The findings indicate that the presence of the Dr. Mario Tourinho Avenue highway operates as an important physical and symbolic barrier, reinforcing the peripheral condition of Residencial Sul and hindering its integration into the urban fabric. Public transportation provision proves to be insufficient, with a limited number of routes, long headways, and operational constraints, which increases travel time and imposes daily burdens on workers and students. In this context, urban mobility reveals itself to be deeply unequal: those who own private vehicles reach the city with greater speed and autonomy, while others remain subjected to long waits, multiple transfers, and high costs. Mobility therefore moves away from the notion of a universal social right and becomes closer to a logic of selective privilege. It was also observed that many essential services, employment opportunities, and leisure options are concentrated in more central areas, forcing residents to undertake frequent trips to meet basic needs. The study concludes that although housing policy has enabled access to homeownership, it has not been accompanied by equivalent investments in urban integration, resulting in the persistence of barriers that limit residents’ full inclusion in the dynamics of the city. Everyday mobility experiences thus reveal how sociospatial fragmentation continues to structure inequalities and redefine who can effectively enjoy the right to the city