Urban codes inducing street life, a possible approach for the Brazilian case

Abstract

Brazilian cities have experienced several cycles of transformation, which ultimately altered these places from colonial fabric to modern agglomerations and metropolitan regions. Population figures are still rising and the urbanisation ratio as well. There is nothing particular about those processes; it is a general trend observed in most countries of the world. What typifies the Brazilian case is that the country has an enormous income disparity that results in different ways to deal with urbanisation and expanding cities network. Perhaps the most striking feature of the major Brazilian cities, in general, is the social and spatial segregation and its impact on street life. This paper is based on research developed for a master thesis (Carvalho Filho, 2014) in 2014 , that currently is further explored in a PhD study. The research aims to explain the effect of the relation between private and public spaces on urban dynamics. In particular, it will assess to what extent the spatial configuration of this boundary contributes to street life and urban vitality. This study addresses the current set of formal and informal planning institutions to discuss the way plots, buildings and blocks incrementally shape urban spaces and on the other hand how space impacts on human behaviour. So far, the case studies will be in Brazilian cities.