How Escrevivências Challenge Urban Planning Norms: Afro-Brazilian Communities’ Strategies for Reclaiming the Right to the City with Mayara Almeida de Paula

What if the true architects of our cities are not the government officials or urban planners, but the communities who live in them? In this episode, we dive deep into a provocative question: When governments fail to provide essential services like water and electricity, and communities step up to fill the gaps, who define the future of urban development?

We journey to Brazil to unravel the story of the 2001 City Statute, a groundbreaking piece of legislation aimed at making cities more equitable. This innovative law, born from decades of activism and aimed at redistributing urban resources, has struggled with implementation challenges. My special guest, Mayara Almeida de Paula, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto and an expert in urban planning, will share her insights on how race, gender, and urban policies impact the lives of Black women in Brazil and how these factors either support or restrict their right to the city.

Key insights from the episode include:

Approaches to reparative planning in diverse contexts
Technologies of resistance and healing used by Black communities, particularly Black women, in response to state neglect
Incorporating escrevivências (counter-narratives) into urban research and practice
Key insights from Mayara's award-winning bachelor's thesis and documentary
The enshrinement of the "Right to the City" in Brazil's national legislation through the 2001 City Statute
Recommendations of other theorists to enrich city-building research, practice, and policy-making
And much more!

Guest: Mayara Almeida de Paula

Mayara is a Brazilian architect and urbanist who holds a master's degree in architecture and urban planning. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Planning at the University of Toronto and in her research, she explores the interplay between race, gender and urban planning.

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/mayarapaula

Timestamps

06:10 | Can you please introduce yourself and share a bit about who you are and the work that you do?
11:11 | Could you give us a glimpse into what life is like in the city of Maceió and what inspired you to delve into this topic?
18:43 | Could you elaborate on some key findings from your research and documentary?
26:01 | Can you provide an overview of your master's thesis titled 'Counter-colonialist Writings in Western-World Spatialities of Black Women,' including the technologies of resistance and healing used by the women you researched?
30:59 | Your thesis centers around the practice of “Escrevivências” or ‘counter-narratives’ coined by Conceição Evaristo. What are “Escrevivências” and why is taking a more storytelling-based approach to research, particularly around city-building, urban planning and architecture, important?
34:03 | What advice would you offer to others whether they are researchers or not, interested in adopting similar approaches in their work?
35:43 | Can you share insights from your PhD research regarding the agency of Black communities in city-building? How do Black women and individuals in urban neighbourhoods contribute to shaping the urban landscape, and what strategies do they employ (i.e. psychological and healing techniques)?
44:12 | How do Black women/Black people, in general, resist unjust urban policies and practices, and how can those listening actively participate in creating the ideal city envisioned by the women in your documentary (or their own version of an ideal city)?
47:06 | What are some other key considerations or reparative tools that planners should take into account to ensure that the voices and needs of marginalized communities are central to city planning initiatives?
48:53 | What’s next for you?
50:17 | How can people get in contact with you or learn more about your work or get involved?

Show Notes

Mayara’s Award-Winning Bachelor’s Thesis: Os melhores trabalhos de conclusão de curso em 2019 | ArchDaily Brasil
Mayara's Master's Thesis: Universidade Federal da Bahia: Escrevivências contra-colonialistas: em espacialidades Ocidente-mundo de mulheres negras
Mayara’s Documentary: Análise Interseccional da Vida Urbana: Cidade Ideal
The City Statute of Brazil: A Commentary
The Right to the City: Theory and Practice in Brazil by Abigail Friendly
What Is The Right to the City?

Acknowledgements

Sponsorships

This episode is co-sponsored by the University of Toronto School of Cities and the Department of Geography and Planning.

The School of Cities "convenes urban-focused researchers, educators, students, practitioners and the general public to explore and address complex urban challenges, with the aim of making cities and urban regions more sustainable, prosperous, inclusive and just". To learn more about the School of Cities visit www.schoolofcities.utoronto.ca.

To learn more about the Department of Geography and Planning and the different undergraduate and graduate programs available please visit www.geography.utoronto.ca.

Support

Editor + Music Producer: Imany Lambropoulos
Podcast Host and Graphic Designer: Alexandra Lambropoulos

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