Changes in use and appropriation of public space

The case of the Campo Grande/MS airport roadside

Abstract

The study aims to analyze the use and appropriation of the public space of the Airport Waterfront, located on Duque de Caxias Avenue, in Campo Grande/MS. The research adopts a qualitative and descriptive approach, using the case study method, using systematic observation techniques, photographic records, analysis of news reports and journalistic content. The discussion is based on the informal modes of urban appropriation and their implications for urban planning in the local reality. The results indicate that the Airport Waterfront has become an important meeting and leisure point for the population of Campo Grande as a whole, not just the local population, even without adequate infrastructure. Activities such as physical exercise, food consumption, social interaction and outdoor leisure were observed, despite the lack of toilets, trash cans, parking and regulation of street vendors. As main contributions, the study brings an understanding of the urban dynamics based on the informal appropriation of the aforementioned space and the ways in which these practices reveal social demands ignored by formal planning. From a social and environmental perspective, the work concludes on the importance of developing public policies that consider these spontaneous uses and that promote improvements, with the participation of users.