REDISTRIBUIÇÃO ESPACIAL DOS DESLOCADOS INTERNOS EM MACEIÓ/AL:

migração forçada posterior à subsidência do solo

Abstract

This study examines the socio-environmental disaster triggered by land subsidence in Maceió, state of Alagoas, Brazil, as a consequence of extensive rock salt extraction. The event led to the compulsory evacuation of thousands of families across five urban districts. The primary objective is to assess how forced displacement has impacted distinct social strata and how urban space has been restructured in response to this internal migratory process. The research employs a hypothetical-deductive framework with a quantitative, analytical approach, drawing upon bibliographic and documentary sources. Spatial analysis was conducted using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), complemented by socioeconomic indicators from IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), IPEA (Institute for Applied Economic Research), and the Human Development Atlas. Findings reveal that households with higher income levels resettled in more central and better-serviced urban areas, whereas lower-income and socially vulnerable groups were relocated to peripheral zones characterized by precarious infrastructure—highlighting a pattern of reproduced socio-spatial inequality. The analysis of internal population flows demonstrates that forced mobility intensified barriers to accessing essential public services and deepened processes of social exclusion. Receiving neighborhoods now contend with increased demand and new urban management challenges, while evacuated areas remain devalued and neglected. The study concludes that this crisis exposes structural deficiencies in urban planning and the absence of effective public policy mechanisms to protect at-risk populations. It also emphasizes the need to hold corporate actors and public authorities accountable to prevent similar disasters and advance a more just, inclusive, and sustainable model of urban development in Maceió.