Espaço urbano, interações espaciais e feira livre de Apodi, Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the production of urban space in Apodi-RN, taking as its starting point the dynamics of its open market, a periodic market of great historical and contemporary relevance. The specific objectives of the research are to understand the past and present production of Apodi urban space, considering the importance of the free market; to analyse the dynamics of the free market in the context of the current stage of globalization, paying attention to the key variables of this period; and to understand Apodi spatial interactions, according to the fixes and flows associated with the market. Based on theoretical references on the production of urban space, globalization and spatial interactions (fixes and flows), the research addresses the relationship between the free fair and the transformation of urban space in different historical periods, including the current stage of globalization. The methodology adopted involves bibliographical research, analysis of statistical data, historical documents and fieldwork, organized to meet the specific objectives. The work is structured in three chapters: the first deals with the historical and contemporary production of Apodi urban space in relation to the free fair; the second discusses the free fair in the context of the current stage of globalization, considering the key variables of this period; the third analyses Apodi spatial interactions based on the fixes and flows associated with the fair. The results show that the free fair plays a structuring role in the organization and dynamics of Apodi urban space, functioning as a point of articulation between local history, global processes and the spatial interactions that connect the municipality to other localities. The research thus contributes to understanding periodic markets as significant agents in the production of urban space in regional contexts.