Belo Horizonte: a spatial narrative in three episodes

Abstract

The thesis presents an episodic history of Belo Horizontes urbanization, focusing on practices, processes, projects and procedures which resulted in important spatial transformations in the citys expanded territory. Three key episodes that have triggered critical shifting moments in its urban history have been selected: the foundation of the city (1897), the inauguration of Pampulha, its first satellite city (1943) and recent urban developments in Nova Lima, its neighboring municipality (from the 1950s onwards). Despite the different moments, motivations and spatial results seen in each episode, they are analyzed comparatively looking for hidden similarities rather than evident differences. The thesis hypothesis is that whatever the plans and ideologies at stake, some common patterns can be found while looking at a longer history of urbanization, across episodes. Some of them are: dramatic ground manipulations, state infrastructuring, urban legislation, public-private alignments, conductive to several forms of socio-spatial urban segregation. Through the examination of the cases, the thesis exposes which are the operative logics hidden behind (state) plans and other discourses and, which are the modus operandi of every-day city building in Belo Horizonte. Reflecting on historical patterns of urbanization in the region, the thesis constructed specific interpretative lenses through which to analyze the episodes. Landscape allows explaining processes of spatial transformation by embracing themes such as ecology, mining and agriculture to the urban question. The notion of constellation allows revealing the assemblage of actions and instruments with an impact on space while also looking at practices and space in a relational way. A focus on investments reveals more directly the practices used for transforming spaces. In order to diversify the sources of urban history, the cartographic method has been explored both as an investigative tool and as a method for producing a visual narrative of a spatial history.