No espaço entre aqui e lá: plano estruturante de mobilidade para o complexo de grotas entre os bairros Petrópolis, Chã da Jaqueira e Santo Amaro

Abstract

Maceió, with its distinct geomorphology and rapid urbanization process, especially since the 1980s, presents a scenario of intense urban inequality. The competition for capital to acquire land during the transition from rural to urban areas resulted in the occupation of risky areas on slopes and grotas by the poorer population. In recent decades, these grotas have undergone urbanization projects aimed at bringing infrastructure to these regions. However, government actions have yet to exhaust the possibilities of the architect and urban planner's role and often overlook the existing potentials within the grotas. The Cardoso Grotas Complex, composed of the Santa Helena, Santo Amaro, and Travessa Florestal grotas, is in this situation. In 2019, it was included in the "Vida Nova nas Grotas" program, which implemented actions such as paving, installation of handrails, drainage gutters, and slope containment. Nevertheless, its greatest mobility potential has yet to be explored. Its stairways and slopes allow for the connection of the three surrounding neighborhoods: Petrópolis, Santo Amaro, and Chã da Jaqueira, but they require better investments and infrastructure for a more efficient connection. Therefore, this work proposes to take a closer look at the grotas to identify their environmental and social conditions, ultimately proposing a structuring plan for the Cardoso Grotas Complex to enable its integration with the surroundings and expand its mobility potentials. The methodological procedures adopted were socio-spatial characterization through visits, mapping, and data collection. Through these, we observed how the city around the grotas disregards them as integral parts, weakening their connections and exacerbating the vulnerability in which the grotas communities are situated. The structuring plan presented in this work aims to counter this stance by assuming the grotas as an integral part of the city and proposing specific mobility alternatives for the context, creating new ways of moving within the surroundings.