URBAN LAND CONFLICTS AND THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: THE CASE OF THE FORTALEZA VLT REMOVALS AND THEIR IMPACTS ON THE LAGAMAR ZEIS

Abstract

Land is a valued asset, and therefore subject to dispute. In these conflicts, the State, which should be a mediator, stands as a representative of economic interests. The Special Social Interest Zones are areas that include precarious settlements destined to land regularization. The Lagamar community is a ZEIS of Fortaleza, located between the neighborhoods São João do Tauape and Alto da Balança, which fought for this area to be recognized as a ZEIS, and tried to resist the removal caused by the construction works for the World Cup. The impacts are still current and reverberate in the daily lives of hundreds of families, who had their right to housing violated. The goal is to analyze these consequences and the conflicting relationship between the State and the community affected by the FIFA mega event, highlighting the community's means of resistance. To this end, literature reviews, visits, testimonial collection, and the use of empirical data were carried out.