Informal public open space as locus of the opportunity and of social-spatial integration of city: the case of the Beira Molhada slum, in João Pessoa, Paraíba - Brazil

Abstract Public open spaces are key to cities, as a place where society can create and recreate public life. Thus, we aim to investigate the production of these areas in slums through concepts such as “right to the city”, “return to the city”, accessibility, mobility, and the implications of fragmentation and segregation, in promoting the socio-integration into the city. The empirical object is the “Beira Molhada” slum in João Pessoa, Paraíba, because of its inclusion in peri-urban area and of environmental preservation, with large public open spaces. The methodology consists of literature and documentary research, mental maps and geo-referenced analyticals. The results indicate an issue poorly related with city and environmental goods under threat. However, there is great potential for socio-spatial integration of the slum with the city, by encouraging social dynamic that provides accessibility and mobility to the environmental heritage and its fruition, contributing to the establishment of an “urban society” as stated by Lefebvre.