Public Spaces: An Overview of the Portugal Square Uses Over the Years

University of Fortaleza, Brazil

Abstract: Public spaces in cities around the world are changing under the prioritization of the automobiles. The consequence of this culture is deterioration and elimination of the spaces that would encourage social contact, such as squares, urban parks and areas of landscape contemplation. These aspects contribute to the emptiness of the urban areas and the growth of public insecurity. In the city of Fortaleza, in Northeastern Brazil, the need for improvements on urban mobility has led the local government to enlarge roads, eliminating icons of the city’s history. In 2014, with the purpose of reducing the traffic jam, the local urban administration proposed the creation of a crossroad on the Portugal Square site. The possibility of destruction of a historical heritage stimulated the emotional memory of the people of Fortaleza, promoting protests towards the development of a mobility project that considered the permanence of the Portugal Square. The success of the campaign goes beyond the achievement of the restoration and amelioration of this public area and involves the development of a debate among the citizens about the quality of urban spaces, the spontaneous policing and the alternative transportation.