Analysis of Socioeconomic Development at Campo Bom, Brazil, in the context of the creative cities

Abstract

Campo Bom is a city located in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil that reflects economic development through its pioneering in the production and exportation of footwear, which is the main economic activity of the city for many decades. In relation to its social development, the city promotes actions that seek the involvement of the population with cultural projects and activities of literature, theater, festivals and popular fairs. These factors contribute to raise the Human Development Index (HDI) of Campo Bom, to above the average of Brazilian standards. This work aims to analyze socioeconomic development in Campo Bom, in the context of creative cities, and observing the presence of cultural diversity, sustainability, innovation and inclusion. Regarding the methodology, we used the descriptive exploratory method with qualitative content analysis. A bibliographic review was carried out, characterization of Campo Bom, interviews with residents and opinion formers, and finally, the Theories of Kings (2011) and Landry (2013) formulated for the creative cities were applied in Campo Bom. Among the results, it is worth mentioning that the interpretation of the collected data provided identifying that the vocation (creative tradition) in Campo Bom has its bases in the leather-footwear sector as the most relevant for the municipal socioeconomic development. It was observed that the activities linked to the leather-footwear sector are responsible for the daily socioeconomic dynamics of Campo Bom. The production of footwear, begun in the XXI century, came to make Campo Bom the pioneer municipality in the exportation of footwear in Brazil, which most employed and involved the entire local and regional society. Currently, activities related to creative industries, such as education indices and the valorization of cultural actions such as literature, music, dance and theater contribute to the development of Campo Bom, generating greater diversification in the local economy and inserting the municipality in the context of creative cities, as developed by authors consecrated in this theme. Moreover, gastronomy and tourism also contribute to the local socioeconomic development, since it has differentiated regional gastronomy and public spaces highlighted by the interests of residents and tourists such as the square (Largo Irmãos Vetter) which houses the most significant municipal events; The 22 km long cycle path that facilitates the mobility of citizens; The environment of the Center for Integrated Education (CEI) with library, theater, Square, among others.