Beyond the railing of Paulo de Frontin Viaduct

Abstract

In recent years we have observed a process of change in
the concept of urban mobility. Today there is a greater
appreciation of the journeys on foot or by bicycle, and a bigger
concern of the need for investments to improve public
transportation as well.
This is one reason why some cities in the world are rethinking
the use of public space and trying to give back to the population
areas that have been degraded and abandoned by the
government, considering demolishing some viaducts. Thus, it can
be said that the demolition of the Perimetral Viaduct, in the Port
Zone of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), has been a milestone in the
history of national urbanism.
So it is possible to assume that, depending on the results
achieved in the aforementioned area, other parts of the city that
have the same characteristics and that have been affected by the
construction of a viaduct can also be included in a range of issues
and, therefore, call for studies and urban interventions.
Therefore, this study aimed to investigate what makes a good
or a poor neighborhood to its residents, ie, check whether the
presence or absence of a viaduct is key to measure the quality of
the urban space by its immediate vicinity.
As a case study we opted for the Paulo de Frontin Viaduct,
located in the neighborhood of Rio Comprido, in the city of Rio
de Janeiro.
Methodologically, this research has parts of theoretical nature,
where it sought to analyze the origin of the urban chaos and the
history of the neighborhood concerned, and a part that focuses
primarily on the results of interviews with residents and former
residents of Rio Comprido.
The conclusion is that the presence or absence of a viaduct is
less relevant for the quality of the space than it is supposed, and a
viaduct is not decisive in itself to determine either depreciation or
degradation of an existing neighborhood, but it may be deemed
an aggravating factor. This observation further reinforces the
importance of popular participation in city decisions, since they
are the real users.