Feira de Santana: o redesenho e a (re) construção da imagem da cidade a partir do projeto “novo centro” (2020-2022)

Abstract

Feira de Santana establishes itself as one of the most important cities in the state of Bahia, with a strong economic potential, with emphasis on the commercial sector. Based on a modernizing discourse throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the city has had its landscape and, consequently, its image transformed following patterns of urban models that have little to do with the local identity and considerably transform the space of its commercial center. In this perspective, the object of study of this research are the transformations in the landscape that produce a new image for the city of Feira de Santana from the works of the “Projeto Novo Centro” (2020/2022). This project developed by the municipal government modified important streets in the urban center, these were represented here by Ruas Marechal Deodoro and Sales Barbosa in their (re)design processes. The analyzes carried out were based on the fundamentals of urban morphology and urban design that helped in the reflections on the construction and reconstruction of the city's image and the political, social, economic and cultural interests linked to these changes. The following methodological procedures were used: bibliographical research, fieldwork for observation, field diary production and photographic records, in addition to the production of maps. The analyzes carried out in this research reveal that the modifications re-signified the dynamics of Rua Sales Barbosa, however, on Rua Marechal Deodoro, the permanence of the stallholders and the recognition of Feira da Marechal as a heritage enabled maintenance, providing a dynamic different from that proposed by the “Projeto Novo Centro” . The path for the development of urban projects that positively modify the city goes through participatory planning, always seeking social well-being and the preservation of the city's identity characteristics.