Scale and segregation: homogenization of space from states to estates by Joost de Bont Brazilian cities, So Paulo more in specific,

have to deal with very high levels of social spatial segregation (Caldeira 1996a). This is proved by the fact that the cities are highly fragmented. The fragmentation happens on every scale from in-house circulation to neighbourhood level to urban infrastructure. And this does not even stop on the micro or macro scale, but goes on to the mega scale. On the highest level we are talking about nation states that are exponentially increasing their border security. This by building up a fortress of wealth and a high-end citizenship like is shown by the enormous influx in border walls being built in the last decades, of which one between Brazil and Paraguay (Brown 2010). On the micro level we talk about examples such as separate entrances for maids in private housing estates. This not only stretches the increasing homogenization of space, as Manuel DeLanda would describe it, but as well the sterile character of the social interaction taking place (2006). House owners in private estates have mechanized the contact with their employees by ringing a bell if they want to call them. This is not only thing that strongly reminds of colonial times; also the uniforms worn by the maids refer to this era and define the almost impersonal relation between the two. But although this dependency seems obvious, the inhabitants of the gated communities do everything to keep the fragmentation intact, as is illustrated by Teresa Caldeira who describes the fact that the maids and cleaning workers have to show their identification tags and even have their personal belongings searched when they leave work (1996b). All these examples clearly show that segregation is happing on several levels within the social spatial realm. There is clear existence of what we could refer to as first-class and second-class citizenship. Although these terms have a very heavy loaded historical connotation, it is possibly the most exact description of what is actually happening. There is a tendency of decreasing constitutional rights in return for endless diversions as Alejandro Zaera-Polo puts it (2012, p. 113). These diversions are mostly in favor of the upper-class, the ones who can afford to separate themselves from the rest of society both social and spatial. It is this group of people that endeavors to create a separate cityscape for themselves. On the other hand the urban physical reality is nothing like that. They are not only confronted with the poorest of the society when they are on the high way from gated area to gated area. A lot of times they actually live exactly next to each other, with gated communities literally being located next to informally built neighbourhoods (Thuillier 2005). So while in psychological sense they are far detached from each other, they ironically live rather close in a spatial sense. As a result extreme forms of social misunderstanding, crime, fear and violence boil up there were these two worlds touch. But no matter how hard they try to avoid the contamination they continue to depend on their servants. This in the end leads to mutual feelings of exclusion and restriction (Caldeira 1996b). For one group it is exclusion due to the restricted access to certain areas and for the other group due to fear for areas with a notorious criminal identity. This text dives further into the tension between this social repulsion and the spatial inevitable dependency and closeness. By having their own way to get around the city all the groups virtually are living in a different city, although they physically

live in the same urban fabric. We can see that maids and labourers are for instance the only ones to use the sidewalks in affluent neighbourhoods, while their employers only move by car (Gutman 2011). Both the walls around the private estates and nation states are a physical representation of the social segregation and homogenization of groups in society. These spatial borders as they are appearing on several levels are used within this essay as a metaphor to describe the existing social relations and link the various levels to each other. Next to that this text will look further into what happens between the several spatial levels, in the transit level in between.

Bibliography Brown, W. (2010) Walled States, Waning Sovereignty. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press Caldeira, T. (1996a) Building up walls: the new pattern of spatial segregation in So Paulo, in: International Social Science Journal 48 147, pp. 5566. Caldeira, T. P. R. (1996b) Fortified Enclaves: The New Urban Segregation, in: Public Culture 8, 303-328. DeLanda, M (2006) A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity. London/New York: Continuum. Gutman, M. (2007) The Power of Anticipation, The New School International Affairs Working Paper. Thuillier, G. (2005) Gated Communities in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires, in: Housing Studies 20 2, 255271. Zaera-Polo, A. (2012) No Frills and Bare Life: Cheapness and Democracy, in: Architectural Design 82 4, pp. 110-113.