URBAN MOBILITY AND NORMATIVE EFFECTIVENESS: AN ANALYSIS OF BUS AND PEDESTRIAN AXES IN THE ALMIRANTE BARROSO AND AUGUSTO MONTENEGRO CORRIDORS IN BELÉM, PARÁ

Abstract

The study analyzes urban mobility along two axes – public bus transportation and pedestrian traffic – on Almirante Barroso and Augusto Montenegro avenues in the city of Belém, in the state of Pará. The research question seeks to answer: how is urban mobility configured along these axes in the analyzed corridors? The general objective is to analyze how urban mobility manifests itself along these axes on the two avenues. The specific objectives are: (i) to articulate the relationship between the 1988 Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the City Statute, and the National Urban Mobility Policy; (ii) to identify how urban mobility corridors manifest themselves based on field research; and (iii) to correlate these three normative frameworks with the observed empirical evidence. The methodology adopts an inductive approach, utilizing bibliographic, documentary, and field research. Data collection includes consultation of specialized literature, legislation, and official documents, as well as non-participant direct observation on the analyzed avenues, recorded in a structured field diary. Data analysis was conducted through qualitative categorization, allowing for an examination of the relationship between normative parameters and the empirical conditions of urban mobility corridors. The results point to a discrepancy between the normative framework and its empirical implementation, as evidenced by limitations in public transportation infrastructure and pedestrian walkability conditions. These findings indicate limitations in the normative framework’s effectiveness in its material dimension, with evidence of insufficient implementation of legal guidelines in the urban area analyzed. It is concluded that, although a normative framework focused on urban mobility exists, its realization depends on the coordination between urban planning and the prioritization of public investments in infrastructure and transportation, to enable the effective realization of the rights to transportation, the city, and urban mobility.