Do pedal ao pertencimento: a bicicleta como ferramenta de apropriação da cidade pelos estudantes - trabalhadores

Abstract

This study analyzed how bicycle use and the operation of the cycling system in Fortaleza contribute to or limit the realization of the right to the city for young working students. Based on the theoretical framework of the right to the city, articulated with debates on urban mobility and socio-spatial inequalities, the research sought to understand how daily mobility conditions affect access to education, work, and other urban spaces. Methodologically, a mixed approach was adopted, combining bibliographic research, a survey applied to young residents of Fortaleza, and qualitative procedures associated with autoethnography. The results indicate that the bicycle has the potential to expand access to the city, reduce travel time and costs, and strengthen the sense of urban belonging. However, this potential is constrained by structural limitations, such as the discontinuity of cycling infrastructure, traffic insecurity, and territorial inequalities in the distribution of urban equipment, which more strongly affect residents of peripheral areas. It is concluded that cycling mobility, although an important alternative for working students, is not yet equitably realized in Fortaleza, revealing that the consolidation of the right to the city depends on integrated public policies capable of addressing historical urban inequalities.