Contraluz de Pirangi: da urbanidade intermitente à requalifição da avenida deputado Márcio Marinho

Abstract

The neighborhood of Pirangi do Norte (RN), Brazil, despite being one of the main tourist destinations on the Potiguar coast, suffers from the impacts of the "logic of summering" (SILVA, 2010), a seasonal occupation model focused on second homes, which generates an "intermittent neighborhood": vibrant in the summer and inactive during the off-season. This work focuses on Avenida Deputado Márcio Marinho (RN-063), the axis that materializes this contradiction, functioning as a "Structural Road" (PARNAMIRIM, 2013) that prioritizes vehicles and presents severe barriers to walkability, failing to provide a quality public space for the permanent population. The main objective is to develop an urban and landscape requalification project for this avenue, aimed at combating seasonality, rescuing the "human scale" (GEHL, 2010), and transforming a thoroughfare into a place of permanence. The methodology involved a bibliographic review of urbanity (JACOBS, 1961; GEHL, 2010) and coastal urbanization (SILVA, 2010); documental analysis of legislation (Master Plan; NBR 9050); an in loco diagnosis with the creation of thematic maps (land use, building height, flows, topography); and a participatory diagnosis involving 15 interviews with residents and seasonal users. The field research and the author's personal experience as a resident informed the design concept "Pirangi's Backlight" ("Contraluz de Pirangi"). The results materialize in a requalification proposal that does not alter the existing roadbed (to respect peak traffic) but qualifies the sidewalks with accessibility, tree planting, and traffic calming strategies (raised crosswalks, bollards). The intervention is structured around three "anchors of vitality" to address the diagnosed zonal problems: "Caminhos" Square (Zone 01), as a community space at the neighborhood's entrance; "Anga Piranji" Square (Zone 02), a sensory garden and viewpoint that overcomes the 3-meter topographical barrier with accessible ramps (8.33%) and qualifies the cemetery access; and the "Quintal do Cajueiro" Gastronomic Hub (Zone 03), a public infrastructure of furniture (tables and benches) designed to combat seasonal abandonment by encouraging local restaurants to operate year round and fostering partnerships with permanent businesses. The conclusion is that the project achieves its objectives, responding directly to the diagnosis and demonstrating that it is possible, through urban design, to mediate the conflict between mass tourism and the quality of life for permanent residents. The proposal transforms the "road-avenue" into a "place-avenue," contributing to the promotion of continuous urbanity in Pirangi.