DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AND THE “DECLINE” DISCOURSE IN THE URBAN REQUALIFICATION POLICIES IN BRAZIL AND EUROPE

Abstract

The discourse concerning the economic decline and physical and social degradation in contemporary city centers has boosted the possibilities of economic insertion of these cities in the national, regional, macro regional or even in the world scenario. This discourse appears frequently in local and regional development policies as well as in the context of operations involving “national interests”. The discourse is followed by market strategies which stress the need for “urban regeneration” interventions. These actions are responsible for highlighting some aspects of the city image, with the aim of improving competitiveness − as can be seen both in the French experience of Marseille and in the Brazilian case of the city of Belém, in the Amazon.