O esvaziamento demográfico e comercial do centro de Teresina: um estudo de caso a partir da Rua 13 de Maio

Abstract

This work aims to analyze the causes of the demographic and commercial decline of downtown Teresina, as well as to verify its social, economic, and urban impacts. To do this, the phenomenon was studied from two perspectives: the first, of a general nature, considers the aspects inherent to the capitalist dynamics of urban space production in Brazil, which favors and reproduces the emptying of centers in various urban realities; the second, of a specific nature, addresses the particularities of urban space production in Teresina. From this approach, several factors were identified that contributed, and still contribute, to the process of hollowing out the city center. Among them, the following stand out: the differentiated value of urban land by region, demographic expansion, increased tax burden, challenges of urban mobility, housing policies, the emergence of new real estate developments in peripheral areas, and the formation of new commercial centralities. The research concludes that the capitalist production of urban space in peripheral countries, such as Brazil, tends to primarily serve the reproduction of real estate capital, while perpetuating a deep and unequal deficit in the supply of quality public services, especially regarding urban mobility and housing policies in the central areas. In Teresina, although land prices in the center remain high compared to the North and South zones, the predominantly low-income population demographic expansion has been directed towards more distant regions, favoring the emergence of new commercial centralities and significantly reducing consumption in the city center. This scenario is worsened by the collapse of public transportation, which intensifies the negative effects of distance on central commerce, further contributing to its decline.