Design para inovação social e sustentabilidade: hortas urbanas comunitárias como comunidades criativas de luta

Abstract

This thesis presents an exploratory study on community urban gardens in the city of Rio de Janeiro, using the Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability approach. The methodology combines a literature review and local case studies. Fieldwork, research diaries, and interviews with the stakeholders are developed to investigate the panorama of these gardens in terms of their weaknesses, creativity, and stories of resistance. Given the observation that some urban gardens function as spaces for political articulation, the study focuses on the analysis of initiatives that demand the creation and preservation of public green spaces. The investigation focuses especially on the case studies of Horta do Vinil and Parque do Martelo, seeking to interpret the meanings and implications of collaborative processes and the dynamics of struggle in these spaces. The case studies reveal that these urban gardens are configured as social movements of resistance to real estate speculation, highlighting the importance of collaboration and mobilization of gardeners in the defense of public green spaces. To describe these groups that, through gardens, continually resist real estate speculation, the concept of "creative communities of struggle" is proposed, identifying a specific group within the concept of creative communities created by Meroni and Manzini (2008). The results, validated using the "regenerative spiral" tool, highlight the political role of gardens in the creation of green spaces and in the strengthening of social movements, concluding that these initiatives are important instruments of political action and sustainability.