Resistência à gentrificação? : estudo de caso do bairro Bonfim em Belo Horizonte

Abstract

It is a risk to talk about gentrification in Brazil without taking into account the peculiarities of this process in the Latin American context. It may lead to an inadequate or unrealistic application of the concept, contributing to trivialization of the term, when using it in an abstract and generalist way. This becomes a challenge due to the lack of visibility enjoyed by the authors who invest in this theme. The aim of this research is to discuss gentrification in the light of these theories – complemented, however, by the works of classic authors such as Niel Smith and David Ley. It proposes an unconventional perspective, based on the non-occurrence of gentrification in Bonfim, despite the gentrifiable potential of this district in Belo Horizonte. The relevance of this case study lies in the resistance of civil society to the project of the Municipal Administrative Center that would be built in the neighborhood in 2013, at the initiative of the City of Belo Horizonte. The Administrative Center, which would have an estimated area of 55,000m² and would demand massive expropriation, is a typical example of the Latin American gentrification process, i.e., a process that considers the characterization of three key aspects: 1) the decisive role of public administrations, which creates a new real estate markets consumer in a violent way; 2) the symbolic violence applied in in the appropriation of architectural and cultural heritage; 3) the violence applied to enable economic development in cities that have mostly been produced informally. In an articulate and combative way, the residents and social movements of the region managed to block the project. Understanding this resistance to gentrification can be a relevant contribution to confronting this process.