The Absence of Public Space Project in the Massive Production of New Settlements of the Program My House My Life in Brazilian Cities

After the pandemic the design of public spaces become more relevant in the agenda of urban transformations, but only apparently as an established and widespread situation. The case concerns the design and implementation of public spaces in the new residential settlements of the Brazilian Program My House My Life (2009-2020). After an introduction on the Program, the paper presents an overview of the different conditions of public spaces in the PMCMV settlements on the island of Maranhão, a metropolitan capital area in the North-East of Brazil, as result of a field research, carried out by the author and some scholars of the State University of Maranhão in July 2022. First, the research reflects on the monofunctional islands, characterized by two types of settlements and very few connections to the urban grid of public spaces. Secondly, it examines the role of private property in defining proximity conditions through formal and informal services and activities. Finally, the discussion highlights the relevance of private actors (building companies during the design and construction processes and homeowners who live there) and the absence of a collective idea and perspective of urban space “out of private properties”.