Ocupações urbanas como forma de enfrentamento ao processo de segregação socioespacial, expresso na conquista da Vila União

Abstract

The present study analyzes the process of urban occupation of Vila União, located in the center of Palmas, Tocantins, aiming to understand how the resistance practices of the working class contributed to the consolidation of a territory that challenges the prevailing logic of socio- spatial segregation in the city. The research starts from the recognition that the formation of Palmas, conceived within an exclusionary urban structure oriented toward real estate valuation, allocated peripheral areas for the working class, concentrating infrastructure and services in central spaces that are typically accessible only to more privileged social groups. In this context, the occupation of Vila União emerges as a unique phenomenon, directly confronting the strategies of displacing low-income populations to distant and subaltern regions. Therefore, this research is justified by the need to explore how, through autonomous practices of organization and struggle for rights, the workers managed to establish an occupation that subverts the traditional dynamics of exclusion and contributes to the construction of a fairer and more inclusive city by claiming the right to live in central and well-located areas. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews conducted with local residents and a bibliographical analysis encompassing authors who discuss the production of urban space and the struggle for housing. Based on the accounts collected and the literature review, the intention was to outline the trajectory of Vila União and understand the residents' strategies of resistance. The results indicate that, despite the adversities and attempts at removal by public authorities, the community managed to overcome the initial challenges and consolidate its permanence in the area, achieving gains in terms of infrastructure and essential public services. These advances are the result of a long process of mobilization and struggle, highlighting the active role of the residents in building a less exclusionary and segregated city. Thus, Vila União stands as an example of resistance and rights affirmation, demonstrating the strength of community organization in the fight for a more democratic urban space.