ABSTRACT: In Brazil, in 1950, 36% of the 54 million people occupied the cities. In 2014, its urban population reached 85% of 202 million, demonstrating the rapid urbanization of the country. This process, however, was not accompanied by planning, resulting in negative impacts on social, environmental and economic spheres. In an attempt to solve the existing problems, some initiatives associated with movements “Smart Growth” and “New Urbanism” have been implemented to make cities more sustainable, such as the creation of smart neighborhoods. However, given the specificity of national socio-spatial formation, it is necessary to evaluate the real consequences of these developments, since their lack of articulation with the urban structure that surrounds belied the very principles on which they are based. This study aimed to identify the socio-spatial impacts, in particular the problems of property speculation, gentrification and mobility caused in the neighborhood Pedra Branca, located in Palhoça / SC-Brazil. Therefore, research is explanatory and adopts technical literature procedures, document reviews, interviews and case studies. The results show that the project analyzed favored real estate speculation, with the increase in land value and the number of real estate developments in their surroundings. They also show that the Whitestone contributed to the emergence of urban mobility problems, which especially affect the proportion of the population working in the neighborhood, but whose purchasing power only allows them to live outside its walls.
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