A requalificação da orla marítima de Salvador: as tramas da gentrificação comercial

Abstract

This thesis aims to analyze the waterfront redevelopment of Salvador in middle-class neighborhoods, based on interventions from the “Nova Orla de Salvador” Project, implemented by the Municipal Government, identifying the social impacts on restaurant consumption practices. It considers the empirical transformations in the Barra and Rio Vermelho neighborhoods, both historical and tourist areas. The research starts from the hypothesis that large-scale urban projects affect spatial configuration and alter forms of sociability. It seeks to understand the strategies of commercial gentrification, the transformations in usage patterns, and the socioterritorial tensions arising in these neighborhoods. The theoretical framework combines contributions from Ramírez-Casas (2018) on neoliberal urbanism, Vainer (2013) on large urban projects, and Cócola Gant (2015) on commercial gentrification, providing a critical and interdisciplinary approach. The methodology adopts Yin’s (2010) multiple case study method and Bahre’s (2018) comparative ethnography, proposing and applying the “sociological sitting” and content analysis. Data collection included documentary research and a sample of 10 restaurants, categorized as Traditional, Exclusive, Hype, Prime, and Informal (“pé no chão”). Fieldwork was conducted from January 2024 to March 2025, through direct observation and interviews. The results indicate that, despite increased tourism following the waterfront redevelopment, commercial gentrification creates a paradox: it aims to enhance the territory but leads to symbolic displacement, fragments sociability, and reinforces class boundaries, without solving—and sometimes worsening—the neighborhoods’ structural problems (infrastructure and safety). The spatial redesign created enclaves of distinction for high-end consumers, while small businesses, unable to keep up with rising costs (rent, taxes, and operating expenses), were displaced or replaced by enterprises aligned with new gourmet urban consumption patterns. It is concluded that processes of commercial gentrification are not linear—they involve tensions, ambiguities, and often induce precariousness. The thesis contributes to advancing debates on commercial gentrification in middle-class neighborhoods and to developing strategies and public policies. It also supported the creation of the research line Urban Restructuring and Social Inequalities: Sociology of Large Projects and Neoliberal Urbanism, within the Science and Resistance research group at UNEB.