O espaço público urbano como palco de tensões, arbitrariedades políticas e conflitos de interesse: O caso da praça Pedro Caldeira em Bocaiuva/MG

Urban public space as a stage for tensions, political arbitrariness and conflicts of interest: The case of Pedro Caldeira square in Bocaiuva, state of Minas Gerais

Abstract

After almost three decades without major investment, Pedro Caldeira Square, located in the central part of the city of Bocaiuva, MG, has become the subject of speculation about its renovation and the inevitable change in its socio-spatial dynamics. The City Council designed the project in 2021 and submitted it to a bidding process shortly afterwards. However, the project did not go through any kind of urban investigation methodologies or popular consultation, before moving on to the bidding stage, therefore, the project did not fulfill specific legislation. In this regard, the actions of the Municipal Deliberative Council for Historical and Cultural Heritage stood out, as they intervened in the process, since the square is located in the immediate surroundings of a building protected by the law of preservation of historical and cultural heritage. The present article aims to highlight the history of Pedro Caldeira Square and draw parallels with the renovations planned by the Municipality. It also reports the path taken by the Council in this battle against the arbitrary decisions of the Municipality. The methodological approach adopted was bibliographic, documental and iconographic analysis. It resulted in the acknowledgment of the mistakes that would be made, both for local memory and for the intrinsic sociability of the space, if the project were carried out, which led to the questioning of whether the Public Power works for the benefit of the city, or for the personal interests of small groups, or itself, to be served.