Pressões urbanas na comunidade do Poço da Draga (Fortaleza, Ceará) e os caminhos para uma gestão costeira socioambiental sustentável

Abstract

This study analyzes the urban pressures that affect the community of Poço da Draga, located on the seafront of Fortaleza (CE), and discusses paths for achieving sustainable socio-environmental coastal management. The community was consolidated in the late 19th century due to port activities, facing, over the decades, processes of socio-spatial segregation and environmental vulnerability, intensified by real estate speculation and predatory tourism. The research adopts a qualitative approach, using a bibliographic review, documentary survey and semi-structured interviews with community leaders, applying the strategic categorical-analytical methodology for data interpretation and systematize the results through the DPSIR framework. Through residents’s perceptions, the transformations in the landscape, local lifestyles and citizen participation in urban planning were investigated. This study made it possible to identify the challenges faced by the community, showing that public policies aimed at the requalification of Praia de Iracema, although announced as measures to enhance the value of urban space, often disregard the needs of local residents, resulting in processes of invisibilization of the community. The results indicate that the lack of basic infrastructure, such as sanitation, access to health and land security, intensifies the precariousness of living conditions. Furthermore, it demonstrates that community resistance, through cultural and social initiatives, plays a fundamental role in demanding rights and promoting more inclusive urban management. This confirms that sustainable coastal management must consider the historical, social and environmental aspects, ensuring the active participation of residents in decision-making processes and promoting policies that reconcile urban development and socio-environmental justice.