O programa de cidades históricas: a experiência e seus desdobramentos no Centro Histórico de Salvador (1973-1990)

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the experience of the Historical Cities Program (PCH) and its developments in the Historic Center of Salvador from 1973 to 1990. Linked to the project for national development implemented by the Federal Government during the 1970s, the PCH was the first program implemented in the country as part of a public policy aimed at the preservation of cultural heritage. Its realization was the result of a unique combination of economic, political and administrative factors, which found in Bahia and, especially, in Salvador, a fertile ground for its implementation, both as regards the institutional aspect, the fruitful articulation with the Government of State through the Bahia Foundation of Artistic and Cultural Heritage (FPAC/Ba), as the challenge of recovering the historical center of the first art city in Brazil, which presented a complex picture of physical, economic and social degradation. Our analysis therefore seeks to understand the particularities of this experience in the Historic Center of Salvador, taking into account its historical context, its execution, results, legacies and deficiencies. In this sense, the present study was conducted through documentary analysis of primary and secondary sources; bibliographic review of correlated studies already carried out and other publications available in the field of public policies for the preservation of the cultural heritage/patrimony and, in a complementary way, of other areas of knowledge such as economics, geography and sociology; and conducting interviews with witnesses and actors at the time of the implementation of the project , in an attempt to deepen specific issues, such as the economic context of the military regime and the social aspects of the historic center, the relationship of the local population with the FPAC/Ba and aspects related to the program itself. Moreover, considering the PCH as a result of a Federal Government public policy, we sought to articulate these various issues with the field of political science, specifically the analysis of public policies, through the adoption of concepts and specific analytical models. As for conclusions, it was possible to verify that the experience of the PCH in Salvador presented very particular characteristics in relation to other cities across the country, and Bahia assumed the role of one of the protagonist states of the Program. Among the possible reasons for that, the study pointed out to (a) the fact that Bahia houses one of the richest cultural collections in Brazil, (b) the effective interest of the governors in addressing the problem of the CHS (c) the performance of immediate managers and specialists, and (d) the amount of funds raised and invested in the area. Despite the undeniable advances provided by the PCH, it has proved to be insufficient to face the complex economic and social reality of the area, reinforcing the thesis that the solution for the recovery of central urban areas, especially of degraded historical clusters, necessarily involves planning integrated into the urban context that surrounds it, in its various spheres, whether economic, social or political.