Housing Programs as Vectors of Urban Space Production - Their Impact on Families in Socio-Environmental Risk.

Abstract

The paper presents preliminary results of the research of doctorate on urban space production in relation to housing in Ponta Grossa, Brazil, regarding the support to families in socio-environmental risk. The soil use and occupation are historically produced and reveal the dynamics of each society and the interaction between several social segments. Public policies foster the production of urban space, more specifically the housing policy, through the implementation of programs that define characteristics of space concentration and determine the population profile. In March 2009, the Program “My House My Life†was launched, this is a Federal Program that in one of its income groups aims to prioritize the support to families living in risky or unhealthy areas or that have become homeless, therefore, are exposed to socio-environmental risk. This study presents preliminary results regarding the analysis of urban space production, under the perspective of sustainability and considering the implementation of the Housing Program in the city of Ponta Grossa, State of Paraná, Brazil, from 2010 to 2013. This city is relevant for the study as it received high investment of Federal resources to build housing units. The city also presents a large number of precarious settlements with families living in socio-environmental risk and who demand housing. The methodology adopted is the Henri Lefebvre Method, called regressive-progressive, which helps to reflect on the historicity of the space production. Research preliminary data was gathered from governmental organizations documents. The housing policy is shown as a vector of space production in which some distancing of the individuals involved might occur regarding the moments of the policy conception and its implementation.

Key words: Families in socio-environmental risk, housing policy, space production