NOT SO INVISIBLE: SPATIAL PRACTICES OF HOMELESS IN THE PRAISE OF BANDEIRA THE PRESIDENTE PRUDENTE-SP. SOCIO-SPACIAL CONFLICTS IN PRAÇA DA BANDEIRA

Abstract

Initially divided into two areas (West and East), the city of Presidente Prudente-SP developed from the Sorocabana Railway. With its urban expansion, there was a need to supply the demand for public spaces, and then the public square was established by the Praça da Bandeira (1925), next to the railway station (1919). The construction of the Comendador Tannel Abbud viaduct (1970) and the implementation of the “Camelódromo” (2000) led to the decharacterization and decreased use of the square, consequently people of no fixed address began to occupy the space. Thus, the objective of this paper is to observe and understand the dynamics and possible conflicts between informal commerce and homeless people in the use of space. Therefore, direct observations in the square were necessary in order to record their spatial practices and the interpretation of such data through "mental maps". The targeted observations were complemented by bibliographic and documentary surveys in order to support a series of studies conducted on site, pondering the socio-spatial characteristics of Praça da Bandeira. inefficiency regarding an average of the species present in the space constituted by the square.