Disneyfication now? assessing spatial correlates for heritage preservation in Natal, Brazil

Abstract

This work is part of a research whose aim is to assess possible strategies of preservation for the historic core of Natal, Brazil. It discusses spatial and functional aspects underlying the formation process of Natal’s historic core and its present stage. Space syntax analytical techniques are used to explore relations between global and local integration patterns and to assess their effects over factors associated with the preservation of historic sites such as the use and presence of older buildings in the area, and its current state of conservation. Results to date suggest that a process of displacement, followed by expansion, of the city’s global integration core has played an important role in the transformation of the area from a major vital centre into a peripheral subcentre. It is argued that this ongoing process has contributed - in this as well as in other Brazilian towns - to weaken the area’s potential as a historic centre and, in the case of Natal, to undermine efforts designed to fulfil the area’s official status of ’Especial Preservation Zone’ (ZEP). The study also highlights the need to discuss the spatial configuration issue as a standpoint for possible alternatives to preservation interventions based essentially on the scenic revamping of key sites into entertainment outlets that have been short living and inefficient.