Creative economy as a space practice in the context of creative cities of the global south: the case of Poço da Draga

Abstract

In 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the capital of the Brazilian state of Ceará, Fortaleza, as a creative city of design. Since then, Fortaleza has been working to organize a Creative District between the spaces of two contiguous neighborhoods. On the urban margins surrounding these spaces is located the Poço da Draga community, which has been organizing a set of actions in favor of the creative economy. This study proposes a discussion about the creative economy as a practice, shedding light on alternative critical perspectives for analyzing public policies related to the organization of creative districts in cities of the global south. The concept of "practice of space" was considered as walking rhetoric, a way of being and doing for those living in the city. The objective was to discuss how the creative economy can act as a practice of space. The qualitative and exploratory methodology involved bibliographical and documentary surveys, complemented by interviews and observation procedures in the spaces under study. The analysis was based on the thematic examination of the identified practices of space, considering the research objective. The main results showed a set of practices of space, emancipatory and resistance permeated by creativity, put into action by the inhabitants of Poço da Draga. It is suggested that public policies for creative cities in the global south consider the potential "doings" of their inhabitants, aiming at organizing practices in marginalized urban spaces.