Indicadores sociais da comunidade Vila Maranhão, entre os anos de 2010 e 2022, no contexto da expansão do Porto do Itaqui em São Luis – Maranhão

Abstract

The research proposes to study how the Port/city relationship influences the dynamics of space production and the appropriation of territory, having as empirical object the Port of Itaqui and the neighborhood of Vila Maranhão, both located in the southwestern part of the Island of Maranhão, in the municipality of São Luís, where a large import and export corridor is formed, connected by BR-135. For this research we used a methodology based on historical and dialectical materialism, since the relations of production are linked to the stages of the productive forces, without ceasing to analyze other dimensions of human activities. For the analysis, we used satellite images and secondary data from the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), referring to the social indicators of the census tracts that make up this community, in the inter-census period between 2010 and 2022, including data such as: type of housing, education, age pyramid, access to water and disposal of solid waste. Interviews were also conducted with local representatives to complement the missing data. We concluded that, despite the economic dynamics occurring in the studied area and the entire flow of capital managed by the private sector and government entities, insufficient data were found in the IBGE databases to confirm an improvement in the quality of life of the studied community during the proposed period. However, conducting interviews to deepen understanding provided reports that confirmed people's lives have improved. The necessity for greater investments in the neighborhood and the formulation of public policies that can positively impact the lives of the residents in the neighborhoods situated in the commercial corridor surrounding the port complex of Maranhão was established.