Risk associated with mass movement in the Boa Vista Hill (Vila Velha/Espírito Santo): from territory characterization to the need for public policies

Abstract This article aims to understand the vulnerabilization process of a community located on the Boa Vista Hill (city of Vila Velha – State of Espírito Santo) from an interdisciplinary perspective. Methods included a risk perception survey, interviews to collect the history of the occupation, photographic records and local geologic assessment. The scenario shows an occupation influenced by political forces that impelled the population to occupy the area in the 1960s, after the rural exodus that occurred simultaneously to the State’s industrialization. Either by the absence or omission of the public authorities, the rockfall disaster of January 2016 exposed that process, as well as the second-class citizenship of the local population and the urge for measures to reduce the risk of disasters.