Participatory Mapping in Itaboraí: Landscape Changes with COMPERJ

Abstract

In recent decades in Brazil, megaprojects have been carried out in public-private partnerships which have promoted spatial restructuring on multiple scales. This study focuses on the Rio de Janeiro Petrochemical Complex (COMPERJ) located in the municipality of Itaboraí. The aim of the investigation was to understand the impacts of the mega-project from the perspective of the residents during the heyday of construction as well as in the subsequent period of impasses and difficulties with concluding the project. Methodological procedures used involved participatory mappings in association with open interviews and focus groups which made it possible for residents to voice their views about the transformations occurring in their territory. Changes in the landscape became evident, such as urban verticalization that took place in the center of Itaboraí due to the presence of the new enterprise.