Ilha de Paquetá: Ressignificação e Territorialização de um “oásis” na Baía de Guanabara

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to verify the impacts of the arrival of new residents from the capital and adjacent municipalities on the social, urban and environmental dynamics of Paquetá Island. Guanabara Bay is home to a number of islands and islets, forming a group of archipelagos, and Paquetá Island stands out among this group of well-known islands. Due to its peculiarity as an island neighborhood, Paquetá has always attracted regular visitors driven by the desire for tranquility and safety. Its distance from the mainland gave the island the air of an "inland town" for decades, due to the small number of inhabitants. Over time, this number has increased and is reflected in the social dynamics in different ways. "Geographically separated", the capital of Rio de Janeiro and Paquetá are territories in interaction, but with different temporalities. Paquetá Island, located in the middle of Guanabara Bay, on the mainland and home to the rest of the urban perimeter belonging to the capital and other Rio neighborhoods, has been undergoing a process of transformation since 2007, with the implementation of the Paquetá Island Tourist Center, which has accelerated the appreciation of various areas of the neighborhood, with noticeable results for long-time Paquetá residents and former visitors. The research aims to see how the increase in tourism has affected the islanders' sense of belonging to their space. Its re-signification as a result of the occupation of individuals from the capital and neighboring municipalities, which has resulted in an increase in Paquetá's population. The aim is to understand whether the influence of the individuals who make up Paquetá's floating population and the influx of new residents has contributed to reproducing on the island the problems characteristic of the complex urban life of the capital; and to identify the conflicts arising from this relationship in the island's space, the process of occupation and gentrification in Paquetá, which marks the seizure of territories historically belonging to the islanders, the emergence of invisible territories that distinguish residents and visitors.