Event
Reflections on the Historic Centre and Market District of Salvador mark the cycle of debates “Pensar a Cidade”
With a thought on actions aimed at boosting the Historic Centre and the Market District, the lectures of the Pensar a Cidade were followed by public debates that dealt with the urban rehabilitation of the region and themes such as housing, emptying of central areas of cities, dimension social, cultural, and cultural economy.
The Cultural District, in direct articulation with other municipal departments, should act on three fronts: culture; janitorial; and urban, economic, and housing development. The area of culture includes the promotion of the city of Salvador as a tourist destination, and the dynamization of cultural equipment, among others. The caretaker includes maintenance operations for public spaces and historical heritage, in addition to urban cleaning. Urban development will train entrepreneurs (small and medium) and will provide business platforms and services.
At the opening of the event, the Coordinator of Culture at UNESCO in Brazil Isabel de Paula highlighted the relevance of fundamental thoughts on structuring issues for the Cultural District, with actions aimed at boosting the Historic Centre and the Market District (Centro Histórico e Bairro do Comércio).
We can highlight the elaborated contents that made possible the definition of criteria for the hierarchization of the special zones of social interest, inserted in this territory, and its relation with the other areas of the municipality, the elaboration of a functional mobility plan for the Old Centre of Salvador and the development of a program for occupying empty, idle or dilapidated properties, carrying out preliminary studies for their rehabilitation.
The central area of Salvador is designated by the Master Plan for Urban Development (PDDU) as a Cultural and Landscape Protection Area of the Old Center of Salvador (APCP) which, like other metropolises, presents problems related to the emptying of the function of housing and activities previously present economics. Therefore, the built cultural heritage, an important asset, recognized even internationally, has been deteriorating, presenting problems of ruin, idleness, and consequent loss of its social function.
The survey of a socioeconomic nature is fundamental to enable actions aimed at the recovery of these assets in a sustainable way so that a new urban dynamic is established in the territory, through re-densification, with incentives for the permanence of commerce and services existing in the place and that can attract new ventures.
During the month, the discussions were on “Urban Rehabilitation”; and “Housing in Central Areas”; the latter with the participation of the musician Carlinhos Brown, an agent of social transformation, carrying out actions in the Candeal neighborhood, such as the Timbalada group and the Candyall Guetto Square, and who contributes to the Pilar Project, where it is located his other project, the Museu du Ritmo. Closing the cycle, the theme was “Cities and Culture”.
According to the musician, if the resident feels respected, the city becomes more attractive to visitors and provides more experiences for these audiences.
And I might add: if in this context culture is visible, respected and exercised, then we have a vibrant polity with few conflicts.
Since 2017, the project Instruments and Strategies for the Sustainable Development of the Old Town of Salvador, under development through International Cooperation between UNESCO in Brazil, the Mário Leal Ferreira Foundation, and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed to conceive strategies and instruments to induce the requalification of the cultural heritage and the sustainable development of that area. In general terms, this project is focused on three major themes:
- Standardization
- Mobility
- Housing
