Local development and participatory management

This paper analyzes the design of the Local Development Plan in the urban occupation of Riacho Doce in Belém do Pará, based on the perceptions of the technical team and the experiences of the residents affected. It reveals the concept and practices that were implemented, especially the participatory management project, showing how the reformist proposals outlined in the final document were implemented in the intervention area between 2001 and 2004. Ultimately, it is a matter of revisiting the theory of social space in relation to the reality of the Amazonian urban context and, in particular, with the socio-spatial contradictions present in everyday life in Belém, reinforcing the recognition of the validity of Henri Lefebvre’s dialectical thinking for understanding the complexity of today’s cities, as well as for proposing new possibilities for public policies.