português

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the notion of right to the city from the French philosopher Henri Lefebre, on  the reality of Rio de Janeiro, a Latin American city. For this work, Lefebvre’s studies must be combined with a historical bibliographical review about the requalifications and removals of the city of Rio de Janeiro, an analysis of data from official institutions and field research. It is necessary analyzing the new areas of centrality and conflicts and the Rede Carioca de Agricultura Urbana (Carioca Urban Agriculture Network In a loose translation) – Rede CAU plays an emblematic role in this process. In the 2000s, neighborhoods with a historic agricultural activity became targets of the real estate expansion on the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, mainly at the Planning Area 4 (AP 4 – in the Portuguese Acronym). The region of Vargens is at this targeted region, and encompasses the neighborhoods of Vargem Grande, Vargem Pequena, Camorim, part of the Recreio dos Bandeirantes, part of Barra da Tijuca and part of Jacarepaguá. The State plays an important role through urbanistic instruments for the viability of this real estate expansion, such as Urban Structuring Plan of Vargens (PEU das Vargens – in the Portuguese acronym) and the Land Use and Occupation Law (LUOS), which reduces the agricultural areas. In this context, although neglected by the debates about urban struggles, which generally dichotomizes city agriculture, the CAU Network, based on Agroecology, stands for the struggle for the right to the city and Urban Planning through the Articulação Plano Popular (APP Vargens – Articulation Popular Plan in a loose translation), re-signifying the right to the city, stating that the right to the city is also the right to plant.