A Place in Rio

On this academic journey, intertwined with my place, I draw on my lived experience and, together with the members of my community, undertake this saga about our lived universe. This memorable place, inscribed in our hearts and minds, Ilha de Guaratiba, has been metamorphosed by the urbanization march that is taking place in its domains. I was born here. I saw the neighborhood with its rural/agricultural physiognomy in previous decades, now replaced more strongly by urban residential. Considering that the individual cannot be distinguished from their place, the process in vogue has caused a series of spatial/environmental/existential changes to the place. This thesis aims to unveil the geographies of Ilha de Guaratiba using the lived experiences of its residents. The symbolic and/or sentimental metamorphoses that occur in the midst of this spatial event will also be highlighted in this research. Rio is moving forward in the context of major international events and, as such, Ilha de Guaratiba flows into and out of this Olympic perspective.