Miramar, recent urban transformations in a neighbourhood towards the sea

Abstract

paper analyses Miramar neighborhood (João Pessoa, Paraíba) building and uses transformations (1990-2020), identifying patterns related to its
location in the urban grid. Miramar is located on the city’s expansion route towards the sea – an attractive natural location on higher grounds with sea views. As
recorded by the Social Logic of Space theory and natural
movement, spatial configuration characterizes access centralities and hierarchies that facilitate movement and influence the locationlocalization of diverse
uses. Syntactic analyses of the city’s urban grid and Miramar neighborhood urban form mapping were compared diachronically in a georeferenced platform to understand neighborhood transformations. Data were collected from readings of previous records from
the 1990s, municipal databases and site visits. We associated land uses, building heights and location in the urban grid. Building transformations related to
location point to a recurrent, topologically accessible neighborhood in the city with many modifications in recent decades and increased verticalization, while characterizing locally differentiated patterns. More building renewals occurred at more central streets topologically, currently also exhibiting more buildings
for sale or rent, and increasing commerce and services. On the other hand, densely knitted ground-floor houses locate more reclusively. Findings point to more private/public changes in some streets, replacing houses that
held a friendlier relation with the street, whose impacts will be addressed later.