Real estate speculation in the real estate market expansion axis: The (un)sustainability of urban voids in Capim Macio/Natal

Abstract

This study is a preliminary development of an ongoing research on the urban voids of the city of Natal. Such voids are seen as the result of land speculation in town, and they have social and environmental impacts due to their unsustainable upkeep; the research aims to identify, define and classify these voids. The focus of this paper is on a neighborhood called ‘Capim Macio’, which, due to its proximity to the tourist area, has been on the spotlight of the real estate market, whose representatives have been lobbying in order to change the guidelines of the city master plan concerning this neighborhood.  That said, a secondary objective is contributing to discussions on: 1) the fulfillment of the social function of properties that became urban voids; 2) the consequences of changes regarding the city master plan. We hope to achieve this goal by offering an analysis of how the possibilities of building in the neighborhood under speculative pressure might change, especially after the suggestions made by the ‘Secretaria de Meio Ambiente e Urbanismo’ [Environment and Urbanism Secretariat] (SEMURB), and also of the effects of the growing need for urban infrasctructure, above all the sanitation system.