The study aimed to find out about the place-identity of the inhabitants of Maracanaú, a city located in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza, which went through an induced process of industrialization and urbanization which transformed the rural local into urban space. Three groups of people were approached and questioned: original inhabitants, who were in the city before its transformation; the inhabitants of housing developments who went through the transformation process; and youth who did not go through these earlier moments and relate to the city as it is today. The analysis of the relationship of those persons with the inhabited space allowed us to distinguish various forms of connection with the city. The results point to the construction of a new and multiple place-identity, set on common points such as giving value to symbols of the past, participating in daily life and in the festivals of the city as well as having positive expectations for the future.
identity; environmental psychology; urban development
