Transformações e permanências no bairro Araés : os 50 anos do Projeto CURA Cuiabá

Abstract

Cuiabá experienced rapid and unplanned urban growth over the past five decades, leading to various urban problems. To mitigate these issues, the city administration participated in the Urban Complementation Program - CURA (Urban Community for Accelerated Recovery), created in the 1970s. The CURA Project aimed to reorganize unplanned growth and rationalize the use of urban space, promoting improvements. The general objective was to analyze the context and impacts of the CURA Project throughout Brazil, with a focus on the CURA Project in Cuiabá-MT, specifically in the Araés neighborhood, over the project's 50-year span. The study aimed to understand and identify the transformations and continuities in this neighborhood. The methodological structure included a qualitative approach, hemerographic research, direct and participatory observation, photo comparisons, and a case study of the Araés neighborhood. These approaches helped to understand the conception and implementation process of the CURA Program in Cuiabá-MT, as well as to analyze the physical-spatial effects on urban morphology, processes, and socio-spatial dynamics in Araés. The research was justified by the social, economic, and environmental crises affecting the quality of life in urban areas. The fight against the vulnerability of the local community was promoted through the installation of public facilities and the execution of basic infrastructure, such as street paving and stream canalization. However, the lack of maintenance of these facilities and public insecurity, exacerbated by drug-related issues, became persistent challenges. Cultural aspects of the neighborhood, such as carnival blocks, contributed to the sense of community and collectivity, ensuring solutions to urban crises.