Living territories: oral history and informed participation in the construction of cities

Abstract

From the perspective of contributing to debates related to memory, heritage and identity, we start from the assertion that oral history, as a method, can be used to understand how subjects relate to the territories in which they live, in the urban context. By mobilizing memory as a device, their perceptions can inform not only how they witnessed and experienced territorial transformations over time, but, above all, anticipate future problems that should guide urban planning. It is also assumed that any public intervention in the construction of cities, which aims to be effective and democratic, must include the participation of plural subjects, considering their lived and conceived histories. Here we align ourselves with Henri Lefebvre in his formulations on the right to the city. The challenge for the scientific community is precisely to promote this practice from a multidisciplinary perspective. Unfortunately, in Latin America there are more and more urban “revitalization” processes that ignore the plurality of subjects that should be integrated into the planning of the territories where they live and work. On this occasion, we will discuss these issues, based on some Brazilian experiences, with the aim of answering how oral history, as a method, could contribute to the construction of cities that are more welcoming and less hostile for all their inhabitants. Including going deeper, in practice, into the concepts of identity and belonging.