Palmas em cena: da geração à banalização do abandono de lixo nos espaços públicos do núcleo central da capital do Tocantins

Abstract

The aim of this study is to understand, in an interdisciplinary perspective, from the standpoint of the urban sustainability and of the citizenship, the abandonment and further accumulation of garbage (solid residues) in the public spaces of downtown Palmas, making it possible to comprehend its gradual incorporation and downgrading in the urban scenery of the cited city. The proposed issue brings out the current situation of the growing garbage buildup in the capital of Tocantins, discussing the socioenvironmental impacts, from sanitary themes and public health to aesthetics motions and those of territorial identification. In this sense, concerning the production and the disposal of garbage in the public spaces, the following questions come to light and defined the problematic rendered themes of this dissertation: Is there, in Palmas, a situation of mere inattention to the collective living environment? Or, in another overview, there must be problems of the inhabitant-place relationship, above all concerning the difficulty encountered by the population in establishing a bond of belonging strong enough to make them seek for actions that could solve the problem and achieve a better urban environment? Thus, this research had as its theoretical assumption an interdisciplinary approach, taking into account some aspects related to architecture, urbanism, geography, and sociology, among others. This study was preceeded by a bibliographical survey for the theoretical basis about the topic, followed by a documental analysis in public city organizations, though which a survey for quantitative data was carried out. In sequence, the second part of the research was composed by the field work in different times of the year, considering the local season (rain and drought). At this stage, there were used the direct and participant observation techniques, followed by a photographic record of the main public spaces or venues situated in the scope area of the central core of the city: Juscelino Kubitscheck Avenue, Girassóis Square, Joaquim Teotônio Segurado Avenue and the Cultural Space. The final phase consisted of a case study investigation at the Quadra 304 Sul open market that lasted for three months, in randomly monitored periods. At that moment, there were used the direct observation together with a photographic record and the participant observation technique, assuming in the latter, the interaction between researcher and researched. Simultaneously, the Collective Subject Discourse Technique (CSD) was applied, through semi-structured interviews. With regard to the verifications obtained in this research, it was observed that the negligent action towards the collective living environment embodies all the parties involved in the urban dynamics of the cited city, be them linked to the City Administration, to the commercial and provision of services institutions and to the citizens who consume the services delivered in that space. There was evidence, in that case, that a shortfall in the conjugation of a sense of belonging, associated to the inexistence of a city territorial identity brought on some deficiencies towards the sharing of the citizenship notion. Consequently, the garbage in the public spaces in downtown Palmas, presents itself as a trivial problem that is still in the scene.