Participatory action research that gives a voice to a community of people living on the streets through audiovisual media in the development of a vacant city centre in South America

This thesis examines the value of the habitat for people living on the streets. Based on participatory action research with the community of Rua do Imperador Pedro II in Recife, Brazil, I articulate the value of the existing facilities and networks for this marginalised community. Although valuable, there are also major shortcomings that the community of people living on the streets themselves identify as needs. Together with this community, we sought spatial solutions that could improve the situation. One strength of PAR is the empowerment of a vulnerable community by gaining knowledge about the situation themselves and sharing this knowledge with relevant actors. We shared the community's perspective with the city centre's urban development department, the city's urban development department, professors and students of architecture and urbanism, and residents of a squat in the neighbourhood. It is an important challenge to communicate this in an accessible and constructive way. This was done through participatory mapping of the existing situation, collage to imagine a future, and a documentary to show insight into their reality. These different media made it possible to disseminate the narrative, with the aim of raising awareness. The case study and the research within which it is framed offer an inclusive approach as a socially just response to the neoliberal redevelopment of post-colonial, modernism-influenced cities in South America.