A operação urbana consorciada como instrumento de proteção do patrimônio cultural: análise do caso do Complexo Cultural e Turístico MAESA

Abstract

The Consortium Urban Operation is among the Urban Policy instruments provided in the City Statute to implement Urban Policy. This research verifies whether the Consortium Urban Operation is an instrument for cultural heritage protection from the perspective of a particular case study. It is the case of MAESA Cultural Touristic Complex in Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil. The former Metalúrgica Abramo Eberle SA (MAESA) is a building complex of 53,000 m² that constitutes industrial heritage, and it is protected by a cultural heritage preservation law, named Tombamento. It is also a symbol of the economic and social development of Caxias do Sul. This research investigates what elements are representative for protecting MAESA cultural property while it also aims to: observe how Culture transits in the constitutional text, reflecting on the social function of the city; understand the mechanisms of land management in Large-scale Urban Projects, their origins, and implementation through Consortium Urban Operations; and realize how projects of this nature can expand rights by observing the relationships that occur in the city as a common good and how this might reflect on the formation of urban space. This investigation presents a sociological approach as to what makes MAESA the contextualized Commons, proposing the applicability of the MAESA Consortium Urban Operation in the protection of cultural heritage and the sustainable development of the city. The epistemological orientation is analytical-inductive since scientific reasoning is built from a complex case study to broaden the understanding of the concepts that support applied research. The method adopted is qualitative and exploratory, supported by literature review, scientific and journalistic texts, documentary research, complementary training in promoting public policies, and preservation practices. Results reveal that cultural heritage provides elements for the fulfillment of the city's social function. They are allies of the Large-scale Urban Projects in carrying out urban transformations, whose territorial planning will streamline economic and social development, benefit-sharing, and environmental quality in the city as a Commons, promoting social and affective relationships between people and the territory. The confirmed hypotheses are that the Consortium Urban Operation is an instrument for protecting cultural heritage capable of articulating public management, public policies, and economic and social development in the territorial planning of Caxias do Sul. Results show that the Consortium Urban Operation MAESA is an eligible instrument for cultural heritage protection, promoting economic and social development. It ensures interventions through public interest and democratic participation in the process. It also encourages evolution in territorial planning through management by the public sphere, achieving urban structural transformations, social improvements, and environmental valuation. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]