Staying awake in the dormitory town: São Gonçalo-RJ and the crystallization of representations

Abstract

The concept of commuter town, always present in discussions about São Gonçalo-RJ, provokes (when it becomes evident) an absence: the multiple possibilities of representing the city are obfuscated by the omnipresence of the concept. We seek to deal with the implications of the crystallization of representations that are formed around the commuter town concept. When the concept ceases to be a mediation between the experienced and the conceived, it can crystallize and cause a blockage of understanding. Along this paper, we recall some uses of the commuter town concept in Rio metropolitan region, confronting them with some data regarding the municipality’s current situation. Subsequently, we deal with symbolic and material implications derived from the crystallization of these representations and their role in the production of urban space. As a result, we concluded that it is necessary to develop an understanding that goes beyond the dominance of the metropolitan center; it is imperative to understand those representations in order to untangle their knots, and to observe them in order to see beyond them.

Keywords:
Commuter town; Representation; Production of urban space; São Gonçalo-RJ