The government as an agent of urban social-spatial segregation: empirical research in a city of Mato Grosso, Brazil

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study conducted in Terra Nova do Norte, Mato Grosso, which sought to explain the role played by the government in urban socio-spatial segregation using the João Paulo II housing complex as an empirical space for analysis, which was implemented through the Housing Programs “Meu Lar”, of the state government and “Minha Casa Minha Vida”, of the federa government. The study used the dialectical and historical materialism approach and bibliographic research to support the analysis, field research for photographic recordings, and both non-systematic and systematic observation. Questionnaires were distributed to 68 households to survey the social, economic, and housing aspects of the neighborhood. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Therefore, we conclude that the government promotes urban socio-spatial segregation through the allocation of the low-income population in areas that are distant from downtown and lacking proper urban infrastructure. This segregation becomes more callous when observing the mobility difficulties faced by the neighborhood residents to access other spaces of the city. There is no public transport that can meet their demands, denying these citizens the access and right to the city in its entirety.