O fim social do uso da terra: o abandono de prédios públicos históricos e requalificação no bairro Centro

Abstract

In the downtown area of Manaus, a significant number of listed public buildings reflect the golden era of rubber, encompassing a time frame from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Although these buildings are under the guardianship of the government, some of them remain in a state of abandonment. Upon identifying the abandonment of historic buildings by the public sector, the guiding question of the research was as follows: What leads to the abandonment of these historic buildings? To address this, the following general objective was defined: to critically analyze the abandonment of historic buildings by the public sector. The specific objectives include characterizing the historical context of the construction of historic buildings in the downtown area; identifying the causes of abandonment; pinpointing public buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries in the landscape of Manaus' commercial center; critiquing the harmful effects of public building abandonment; and examining whether there are projects to prevent the abandonment of public buildings. The choice of this theme is rooted in the emotional memory of the historic center of Manaus, as memory is intertwined with the material space, allowing for the anchoring of memory. When this space becomes a representation of a particular period and is embedded in social memory, it becomes a heritage, and its preservation is crucial for society. This research adopted the dialectical method, enabling the tracking of ever-changing social relations, in addition to technical visits, fieldwork, interviews, and photographic documentation. Throughout the research, it was identified that bureaucracy and changes in social demands have led some of these historic buildings to be abandoned. However, plans for revitalization already exist for some of them. The requalification of these abandoned buildings must be approached with care to meet local social demands and functions, avoiding transforming heritage into just another attraction for tourists and promoting gentrification. Many of the public buildings in a state of abandonment already have projects for their future requalification through partnerships between government spheres and government programs, such as the Historic Cities PAC, while a minority remains without a foreseeable new social function. Keywords: Abandonment of Historic Buildings; Requalification; Social Function; Historical Heritage; Geographic Reasonin.