15th INTERNATIO NAL PLANNING HISTO RY SO CIETY · 15th internatio nal planning histo ry so ciety conference the grid and its variations on the extensive occupation of the west of

1 5 t h I N T E R N A T I O N A L P L A N N I N G H I S T O R Y S O C I E T Y

C O N F E R E N C E

THE GRID AND ITS VARIATIONS ON THE EXTENSIVE

OCCUPATION OF THE WEST OF SÃO PAULO STATE: A

COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE FOUR RAILROADS.

ADALBERTO DA SILVA RETTO JR,

Address: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)

Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação

Av. Eng. Luiz Edmundo C. Coube 14-01, Bauru – SP, CEP 17033-360- Brasil

Phone: + 55 14 3103.6059

e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

MARTA ENOKIBARA

Address: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)

Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação

Av. Eng. Luiz Edmundo C. Coube 14-01, Bauru – SP, CEP 17033-360- Brasil

Phone: + 55 14 3103.6059

e-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

The occupation of around 65% of the state of Sao Paulo took place from « Les

franges pionnières" in the hitherto 'unknown area inhabited by Indians' in the west of

São Paulo. The comparative scope for this research followed two movements as a

way to explain the dynamics and/or the mismatch when deploying this system in its

entirety. The first, highlighted the political and economic strategy of each siding

individually, and second, the grouping of cities by decades, in light of a broader

political and economic conjuncture. Within a broader perspective, enriched by

national and international archives, the railroad emerges as a mode of transportation

that provided the "country's technical apparatus" from the construction of various

engineering works which caused a partial integration of the Brazilian territory

polarized by São Paulo. In this scenario, the coffee stands as economic support for

the construction of a project designed to link not only the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,

but a global project, having the rail system as a support.

mailto:[email protected]

C i t i e s , n a t i o n s a n d r e g i o n s i n p l a n n i n g h i s t o r y

FOR A NET ANALYSIS: THE PIONEER FRONT ADVANCE AND

THE CONSTRUCTION FRONTIER WITH INVESTIGATION

OBJECTIVE

The occupation of approximately 65% São Paulo State lands took place since

d’<Les franges pionnieres>, as it is called by the french geographer Pierre

Monbeig (1908-1987), que in primis has studied this cities net in the until then

“unknown area inhabited by indians”, São Paulo State western.

Pierre Monbeig in his studies about western cities of Paulopoints that every city from

“pioneer front” were “backconuntry mouth”,terminus or “track tip” , each one at its

time (SALGUEIRO, 2006, p.98). the recent Langenbuch study, retracts in a

systematics way in a map the dates when railroad arrived and settled in the west.1

The handling between both studies, farway approximately for twenty years, and

enriched by a wide field research in several observation scales, became a key figure

for a wide project pitching, in which this research is part.2

The specific objective of this work is to make clear such historical problem from a

mophological approach, in its historical, geographical and architectural, following

two veins with observation scales and specific samples:

1st. The square and its variations in occupation in São Paulo western territory,with a

one hundred cities samples:

2nd

. São Paulo western squares, Gardens and public buildings and conformation

and tranformation of public space, with a twenty three cities.

The investigation comparative scope followed a net analysis in two movements: as

a way to explicit the “Formation and transformation of São Paulo western cities”. In

the first, a net analysis was made following an implantation chronology in the four

railroad branches: Alta paulista, Alta Sorocabana, Alta Araraquarense and

Noroeste from Brazil; in the second, a comparatin between railroads, since a cities

grouping for decades.

The similarities and ontradictions form these two movements, led, as CALABI

emphasizes, “to a complex system working vlorization in which the tested case is

really inserted”.3

However, if by one hand, the natural conditions uniformness conducted to na

assertion that it exists an homogeinety the characterizes the west urban formations ,

which Monbeig calls “urban landscape monotony that causes the repetition inall

geometric plants, proper in new cities”; on the other hand, Monbeig himself that

makes it ckear that “ the historical foudation circumstaces that impose modificatios

in urban scheming dispositions”, making it necessary to study the “ social actors

at this movement society”.

1 LANGENBUCH, J. R. Ferrovias e cidades do Oeste Paulista. In.: RETTO Jr., A. S.

ENOKIBARA, M., CONSTANTINO, N. R. T., MAGALHÃES, K. C. Conhecimento Histórico –

Ambiental Integrado na Planificação Territorial e Urbana. São Paulo: Cultura Acadêmica,

2011.

2 Pesquisa integrante do sub-tema 3 denominado “Saberes teóricos e técnicos na

configuração e re-configuração das cidades formadas com a abertura de zonas pioneiras no

Oeste do Estado de São Paulo”.

3 CALABI, D. Storia dell'urbanistica europea, questioni, strumenti, casi esemplari. Paravia

scriptorium, Torino, 2000.CALABI, Donatella. Storia dell' european urbanistic, questioni,

strumenti, casi esemplari. Paravia scriptorium, Torino, 2000.


C O N F E R E N C E

In this sense, we left to inquire such assertions trying to not camouflage the

specialities of each individual urban organization. The analysis done aims to explore

the inter-urban double territorial scale singularity and the architectural/ inter-urban

scale, as a way to explore these information levels (fig01).

Fig.01 São Paulo western cities formation evolution since four railroad branches

implantation: Alta Paulista, Alta Sorocabana, Alta Araraquarense and Brazil

Noroeste Railroad.

Thinking about the frontier as a study object assume to not think only about its

geographical delimitations. As José de Souza Martins highlights, in the “ Pioneer

Front” context” it is characterized a real “economics enterprise”: real state

companies, railroads, trade, banks, etc.. that lot lands, tansport goods, buy and sell

lands, finance trade production”4. It means, a factors agroupment that makes such

phenomenon to be inserted organicaly in world economics range.

Thinking about historical reconstitution frontier production and solidification,is

trying to understand its production dynamics, as in the agrarian conflicts in the

region, as by the dynamics created by individuals dynamics responsible for new

perspectives, as economics growth and, mainly, territory dominion.

It means, frontier seen as a construction privileged space, descontruction,

splintering and territorial reconstruction, that become a local social formation

process different faces expression, region, state and nation.

Frederick Jackson Turner in his thesis about American frontier, and it does not

mean only comprehend as a territorial expansion process towars west, but in its

economics, politics and social aspects. It shows that the frontier was responsible for

the “american complex nationality formation”.5

In this perspective, the frontier is a place to be outmoded toward economics

development, forming, day by day, a “new man”, the pioneer, as a central figure in

the territorial expansion of a country. So, leaseholders, loggers, farmers, etc., were

4 MARTINS, José de Souza. “Frente Pioneira: “contribution for a sociologics characterization”.

In: Capitalism e tradictonalism: studt about agrarian society contradictions in Brazil. São

Paulo: Pioneira, 1975, pg.47.

5 TURNER, Frederick Jackson. The Frontier in American History. The Frontier in American

History. New York: Holt, 1921.


considered by Turner and by Pierre Monbeig as fundamental characters in the

frontier line expansion process, being known as “pioneers”.

In a general way, brazilian according to Schallenberger e Schneider (2010) they

became united by “political-military orders” and “economics-social”interes. At

political-military interest, the main objectives were to occupy the land and to ensure

national soveregnty at frontier line. A “economics-social” factor, workers and

colonists displacement favored decompression over agricultural space and

minimized conflicts around land possession.It means, amplified the possibility of

work and revenue generation, and mainly stimulating production increase and

market amplification.

São Paulo western frontier problems, such as in Parana, have its origin since 1850

lands law, which objective was to regulate land property. An inexact definition of

vacant lands concept generated, according to Schallenberger (2008), Law 601

promulgation in 1890, that besides dealing with the problem, defined free lands

concession at a frontier line with 0.03282 over brazilian territory. This way, 601 law

from december, 18th

, 1890, rejected country agricultural policy, generating a

limiation among State and Federal High Places, allowing gaps for arbitrary

solutions, and mainly, helping local power politicians groups interests hegemony

and mainly settlement companies.

Herbert Klein study allows such problem in a wide range:

“Although ten million africans and probably fifteen million europeans had crossed

the atlantic ocean before 1880, the penultimate decade in XIX century, pointed a

definitive point in European migratory flow. The sail total replacement for steam

energy in passengers ships that were crossing the atlantic ocean , transatlantic first

telegrapg cable, in 1866, and the first railroad links set conclusion, around 1870, in

all main european and american countries created a transportation and

communication mean infinitely faster and cheaper between America and Europe.

Almost all analists currently assert that, specially after 1870, migratory flows and

economics conditions in America were closely connected. Information about

employment conditions, particularly, were now promptly available in a few weeks ,

in the main immigration european countries. The high number of sea trips also

ensured constant contact and relatively immediate with all American nations in the

atlantic ocean. To quote a single example, in the period after 1880, left from Santos

port, in Brazil, several ships a week dedicated to main european countries in

mediterranean sea and till North Atlanyic, and everyone had capacity to transport

several hundreds or even millions emigrants..6

In fact, it is observed from date crossings collected in international teaching

institutes, mainly french, portuguese, belgian and italian and from west cities

professionals cast, an effective men, products circulation institutions but also ideas

and shapes.

6 KLEIN, Herbert S. “America History international migration”. In: FAUSTO, Boris (org.).

Making America. Mass Immigration to Latin America. São Paulo: Edusp, 1999, pg.23.


C O N F E R E N C E

Fig.02 Ibero – Afro – American railroad project: from Europe to Americas through Iberian

peninsule in five days, with three on navigation. Yellow interferences demonstrating predcted

lines for Brazil. In. Compte Rendu des Travaux du IIe Congrès International de La Route,

Bruxelles, 1913.

The techinical-formative tradition relationship in engineering schools, mainly the

french ones, fullfils through the practice of sending hopeful engineers to teach in

those countries. Por sua vez, as disposições favoráveis aos “auditeurs étrangers”

ou ainda “éléve externe”7, por parte da École de Ponts et Chaussées is enlarged, in

the second part of XIV century, with Napoleon III territory/foreign countries

occupation policy, as towards new Western Europe States as South America and

Asia (fig3).

Fig. 03 Mapa La France dans le monde with the graduated at ENPC engineers flow

marcation .: In.: RETTO JR., A. S. Modernity scales. Anhangabaú Dale: an urban structure

analysis. Doctor degree thesis, FAU USP, 2003.

7 Sobre isso ver: KARVAR, A. Les élèves étrangers. Analyse d'une politique. In: BELHOSTE, B;

MASSON, F.; PICON, A. (orgs.). Le Paris des Polytechiniciens: Des ingénieurs dans la ville

1794-1994. Collection Paris et son Patrimonie. Paris: Délégation à l'Action Artistique de la Ville

de Paris, 1994.

ver GUILLEN, P. L'Expansion 1881-1898. Collection Politique Étrangère de la France (1871-

1969). Paris: Imprimière Nationale, 1985.


At Annais of L’École des Ponts et Chaussées8, among 1831 and 1945, it is possible

to verify the great number of brazilian professionals, south africans and north

americans, or yet foreigners that came to Brazil, with very distincts profiles and

functions in territory. These professionals get engaged in projects clearly enfasizing

the kodern territory birth (productive territory), such as in engineer Louis-Léger

Vauthier case in Recife, or with d'amenagement projects and big estructural impact

equipments, such as railroads (Bicalho Plan), barrages, bridges and ports, at the

beginning of a reflection about urbanism and racional city theories, such as in

engineer Aarão Reis( 833 - 1936) case and the portuguese Victor da Silva Freire

Júnior(1889 - 1951),in São Paulo. In Bresciani words, a real international flow,

reinforcing the inter-nations great exchange thesis.

Fig. 04 Map detail of La France dans le monde with brazilian and portuguese professionals

graduated at ENPC marcations, In.: RETTO JR., A. S. Modernity Scales. Anhangabaú Dale:

Urban structure analysis. Doctor degree thesis, FAU USP, 2003.

So, re-establishing the “Pioneer Fronts” dynamics production in São Paulo state it is

necessary a great documental resources crossing efforts, but also in loco

stocktaking, able to visualize the urbanization process making known a world

phenomenon (fig05 and 06).

8 RETTO JR. A.S. Escalas de Modernidade. Vale do Anhangabaú: estudo de uma estrutura

urbana. Tese de doutoramento. São Paulo, FAUUSP/IUAV 2003.


C O N F E R E N C E

Figs. 05 e 06 Brazilian Noroeste Railroad Project predicting transcontinental connection

between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans In.: FIGUEIREDO, L., Brazil Noroeste and Brazil – Bolivia.

São Paulo Engineering Institute Pronounced Institute, December,21st, 1949. Rio de Janeiro:

José Olympio, 1950.

Manfredo Tafuri and Francesco Dal Co (1986) in a study about the american city,

asserts that:

“(...) the railroad industry installation draws a urbanization model, dedicated to be

reproduced without variation, that propitiates, around each station, an accelerated

lands valorization scheme in such a way to ensure terrific dividents that evolves the

“whole system” settlement, and that extends in regioanl scale “(TAFURI; DAL CO,

1986, p.16).

However, the sudies conflict about the political strategy thet led to each railroad

branch implantation and the rescue of São paulo coffe production route, reveals

cities implantation rythm, how out of rythm these implantatiuons are done, the

bloomoing or weakening of a couple of cities, the prosperity or stagnation of others,

the presence of industries or equipments around it and the capability of a city to

become regional pole. This is ratified when it is overrides the “ Administrative

detachment way picture and the significance of 1894 Sanitary Code in “interior

mouth” cities behavior code (fig07).


Figura 07 – Interior mouth cities adiministrative- detachments. Image: Fernanda de Lima

Lourencetti, 2009.

The regulatory issue and the legislation in f”elastic rontier” or “soft frontier” spaces,

that are fluid places or yet in definition, reveals that the used parameters in Province

Capital or the most imporatnt region city, became something to be followed with

small adaptations, searching for definitions according to its objectives.

At A scale , it is a “frontier city” transformation into a “Trail point city”, generating a

phenomenon that we can call “elastic frontier”, or yet, “floppy frontier”.

This observation level gains strenght, when we agroup cities for decades and

superpose impacted public buildings dates during Republican System.

In this sense, the coffe binomial study – railroad, becomes significant. At one side,

the implantation process of trail system, as a real process of industrialization of

territory transformation, on the other hand, coffee production supporting

economically to the urban improvements services implantation.

THE GRID AS TERRITORY EXTENSIVE OCCUPATION

The geometrical regularity, recurrent element in urban history when we think about

long duration, appears with some variations at first years of XIX century in the

western São Paulo four railroad researched 100 cities. Few cities are projected ex

nihilo, as Panorama and Paulista Florida, are rule exceptions.

Engendering different and geometrical logics sometimes clashing, the samll square

(88m x 88m) claims itself as a fundamental element for extensive territory

occupation.

Its variation appears in three different observation possible levels in territorial scale:

1 – The relationship between reticular scheme and Train Station;

2 – The relationship between reticular scheme and topography and fluvial veins;

3 – The relationship between reticular scheme and farms perimeters and rural

glebes;


C O N F E R E N C E

All of them easily observed from thw morphlogical discontinuities in tissue, made of

urban empties in low quotes areas – The dales and/or rivers bottons, or because

they are rural properties limits.

1-Related to the Train Station, it is possible to note the relationship since the arrival

of the railroad and the Train Station: When the railroad anteceds a city formation, it

means, when the city is formed after a railroad, if there is a discontinuity between

them, if it happens because a dale or fluvial vein existence, that depends on its

geografical insertion, generates a small inflection to adapt itself towards

North/South/East/West of geometrical small square. When the city per-exist the

Train Statio, very often it happens a division in original patrimony, desfiguring the

small square regular drawing. It is worth to highlight, that one of the widespread

methods to equipments insertion and botton dale lots areas was "brazilian

watershed system", that had as a fixed referential the river course from which it was

taken a perpendicular (according to Bahia Militar “Pratical Geometry Est. 1ª ”Class

students risks notebook Bahia ", by Ignácio José Partidista, de 1779.9

The Train Stations, in general, figure in us urban characterizing a new articulation: in

downtown, as in the territory as a whole,the railroad, provokes a prior structure

destruction and creates new morpholocical-functional systems. The stations, in pre

existent cities, seems to be made of an external accident at first. Nevethless, when

we observe these cities urban evolution, the station soon begin to perform as

megnetic elements guiding na aponing of new streets, road enlargements, and

polarizing new activities nucleus (hotels, stores, etc.) with strong money

investments. Only, at a second thought, the railroad figures as a physical barrier or

limit to urban expansion.

2- Concerning topography and fluvial veins, the conflict with egular urban scheme

generates, what we can call imcomplete urbanization “fronts” and “edges”. Or,

according to regular scheme point of view, “incomplete blocks”. Both, almost

always, resulting from the convertion use of rural soil in urban soil.

“fronts” and “edges” characterize themselves for being rural-urban areas, or better,

qhere city and country mix themselves creating a texture where does not exist one

over the other.

3- The relationship between urban scheme and past legislation of farm limits

generates essentially iflections on urban tissue. (Fig. 08/ 09/ 10)

Taking as base the urban evolution map of these 100 cities, we car assert that

during this pioneer front process, the samll regular square is the characteristic of the

fundation first moment. It suffers adaptations during after years till 1950 decade,

generating a transition area between historical nucleous and more external outskirts,

which we can call first expansion of the city.(Fig.11 e Fig.12)

9 RETTO JR. A.S. Escalas de Modernidade. Vale do Anhangabaú: estudo de uma estrutura

urbana. Tese de doutoramento. São Paulo, FAUUSP/IUAV 2003.


Analysing “growing forms” of these cities, we register nucleous individualized

divisions around 1970. These typology of urban growth, that will form the

morphological outskirt characteristic of these cities from morphological point of view

stablishing a radical denying f historical ortogonal scheme.

THE REPUBLIC REPRESENTATIVES PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND

GARDENS AND THE URBAN AXIS FORMATION

When reducing the observation scale since remainder buildings date and central

nucleous scheme of four corners , it was detected:

1-Each square cell division had a bidemensional resolution: 8 lots x 11 m front x

22m profundity;

2-That square scheme road hierarchizing happened linearly conforming urban axis

continuous architetonical façade, enriched by public buildings prominence;


C O N F E R E N C E

3- A secondary road scheme formation with continupus architetonical

façades.These façades when occur in the whole square cells perimeter had in their

inside a residual empt made by houses backyards;

4-On the corners, gently there was a final lots detachment, adjusting to a

tridimensional scheme. It means, the buildings began to have two façades: one for

the street, almost always the main one, and the other to a perpendicular road.

Fig. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18


Axis insulation in the 100 four railroad branches cities, happened by the gathering

representative buildings and public spaces and gardeneds, and façades continuity.

Fig. 19, 20, 21, 22


C O N F E R E N C E


When we take demarcated squares in original patrimony areas we detect:

1º) It was after railroad introduction that gardens and squares were made or

transformed. Many cities were founded waiting for the railroad (as the Paulista ones

that already had predicted urban railroad trace) or were founded by railroad (as

Noroeste).

2º) In almost all studied cities we have two kinds of sqyares: the church and the

station. Even if the city had not being founded from public patrimony, there will

always be Catholic-Church square.

3º) Catholic Church presence is so strong, even after Republic, that exactly after

that period, churches are remodeled (generally contemporaneously to the square

reformulation) and a new style is adopted: gothic revival.

4º) Almost all squares follow a regular drawing, remited in squares trace adopted in

São Paulo western cities and the drawing follows basically two kinds: that one witha

trace which ways culminates at square centers, generally with a fountain, reflecting

pools or banstand; and that one where an axis I perspective is dominant, generally

culminating at the Cathedral.

5º) In most squares of the period present elements: bandstand, benches,

luminaries, fountains, reflecting pools, “footing” areas (walking area inending flirt).

6º) Vegetal repertory also suggests a pattern mainly in projects signed by

landscapes disigners that, coming from São Paulo, bring a lanscape vocabulary

that gives the trace visibility.

With listed material it is possible to assert that squares and gardens set or

reformulated during first Republic are fruits of na actions groupment from State

Institutions, private companies and professionals, substantiated by railroads

progress and stronger church presence. There is a Republic apparatus personified

in the new style adopted for churches (gothic revival); in garden present

equipments (bandstand, benches, luminaries and fountains), in surrounding

buildings (school, theater, city counsil and city hall in ecletic style) and in vegetation,

that is not choosen for a sanitary reason anymore, but for species which could give

sthetics group support and new system representative: Republic.

GOMES(2004), lists the following elements as São Paulo western cities morphology

makers: the Station street, the road crossings rhythm at each 80 or 90 meters; the

corner; the urban façade vertical continuity plan; the transition spaces- sidewalk –

dorrstep – buiding interior; the degraded spaces in the block interior; urban tissue

flexibility extension, etc.

As we understand, all these elements describe the urban axis, that hierarchically

override in square scheme.

A MANNER OF CONCLUSION

Neverthless “Block” keyword appear in the first portuguese dictionaries meaning the

surface measurement unit and/or with geometrical connotation, some other words,

that initially are showed as synonyms, gradually get urban universe importance:

block, aquare ,and, after, super-block, employed to elements in their buily form as

traces processes and landed divisions.

Evaluating the foru words definitions in significant works of portuguese- brazilian

historiography such as some urban morphology classics, within a long time arc , it

is noted that these words suffer conceptual slidings, and appear once as synonyms

once with not precise conceptual limits.


C O N F E R E N C E

From morphological point of view, classical bibliography presents the word “block”

as a bidemensional trace result that implies ina territory geometrical ordenation

igiving space a neutral, uniform and homogeneous character. This neutrality would

allow its adjustment to opposite concepts about urban form: concentration or

dispersion; hierarchizing and homogeinity; differentiated elements characterization

or habitat continuity; singles road scheme, homogeneous and regular or

hierarchized schemes system over original trace. It also allows, expressing a city

image as unitary form, limited, defined by a simple geometrical form, with central

accentuation and with formal correspondences among the whole and the parts; it is

also the open city concept expression, of indifferentiated growth towards any of its

coordinates, allowing an axiality accentuation front to centrality.

On the other hand, the word “block” , gradually, assumes a clearer definition as

“ring continuous buidings groupment, or closed system and aparted from the

others; as delimited space by the crossing of three or more roads and subdivisible

in register parcels (lots) for buildings construction”. Or yet, “aparted houses or

apartments groupment or ssemblage by means of streets or lanes, about a city or

village with regular buildings. It seems like a morphologic unit that it also joins and

organizes other urban structure elements: the lot and he building, the trace and the

street, and the relation stablished with public, semipublic and private buildings. But

”Square”, claims itself as a model of land distribution for agrarian owners.

Square and block appear as elements that organize urban register and form;

becomes a universal mean and had tried urbanistic experiences and urban drawing

and had adapted to seeral morphological and topographical situations.

From urbanistic poin of view, an ideal city construction desire moved urbanists and

architects from all epochs to conceive a leading theorical incessant model series ,

in most of cases, to practise and in which the terms “plaid trace”, “reticular trace”,

“mesh trace”, or yet “gridiron trace” terms employment has been common to

almost all of them.

However, quadrangle trace that was very used in Cristian Spain, as an aristhotelical

city idea synthesis amplified with agostinian idea “God city”, short time ago

appeard as a Portuguese settlement in America counterpoint. Sérgio Buarque

Holandano classical “Brazil Roots”10

asserts that “cities founded by portugueses in

America is not mind product, it does not get the point of contradicting nature

picture, and its silhouetteinterlaces in landscape line, and that Portugal “(...) worried

less in constructing, planning or planting basis than in produce easy richnessand

almost on hands reach"11

. Such affirmation that stablished a parallel between “Tiler

and sower”, dealing with spanish and portuguese settlers respectively, detonated a

fundamental process for the understanding of thw word “square” and its

“synonyms” in brazilian since colonial epoch to nowadays.

However, São paulo expansion study in XIX and XX centuries, became example to

rehash regular trace use at “pioneer zones” linked to railroad extension. This net

constructed in inverse to coast settlement, that is developed from the arrival of

Railroad became a regular trace model, orthogonal and bidemensional for the

ordering of urban soil, resulting from the crossing between income and gain based

10 HOLANDA, S. B. Raízes do Brasil. Coleção Documentos Brasileiros, vol. 1. 21ª edição. Rio

de Janeiro: José Olympio, 1989.

11 Idem. Boris Fausto complemens such information, enphasizing that to the Metropolisit was

not interesting a literate elite in the Colony.. In: FAUSTO, B. Brazilian History. 2ª edição. São

Paulo:


on indiscriminste laissez-faire and creates a territorial ordering able to perform

divisions os states, agrarian lands, cities and even urban lots.

These are the instruments that also American western dynamism, mutable in use, in

repertory, in technics, in shapes and therefore, in architecture12

. So, pioneers

urbanization, from United States or “Paulistas pioneers”, as Holanda13

name them.

Orthogonal mesh, radically opposite to blocks structure of Lisbon Pombalina

reconstructed, assumes a new meaning that proliferates with coffe grownth

progress in São Paulo western and profitiates the birth of a high number of cities,

with their formation based on secular soil and transformed in exchange good,

having as a single antecedente to street network ths Rail Station. It is exactly at this

point that current research is found as significant contribution, in the sense of

investigating diffusion, remaining and continuity of a possible model directly linked

to the railroad.

Such problem is evidenced by similarity with United States urbanization through

west conquering march asserted by Manfredo Tafuri on the book Città Americana

(1974). In this conflict, american urbanistic culture formation is pointed as an

analytic picture amplitude possible way, because since second half of XIX century,

that progressive and economics instances , interrelating income and gain, compose

a nucleous solidly structured able to express a real and own tradition.

Sérgio Buarque de Holanda (1902-1982) since “Tiler” and “sower” metaphor

explains urbanization and differentiator model and racionalization materialization od

spanish occupation in contraposition to evident “negligence” in portuguese settled

cities irregulariry. The Square reappears in generalized form in implanted new cities

as a result of the crossing between sanitary legislation and income capacity and

land gain, hierarchical since urban scales axis, figured by representative buildings,

public spaces and gardened, emphasizing “parlante” function in architecture

composition of representative scenery of republican System.

Drawn forth this process Brazil Roots author (1936)14

, begins to draw a

counterpoint between interior and coast urbanization, wondering other interpretative

possibilities since frontier idea. At Monções books (1945) and Ways and frontiers

(1957), the author effectively deals with the theme Paulista Conquering and gives it

a particular character linked to brazilian urbanization history.

This way, cities net contructed inverse sense to coast settlement, that develops

since the railroad arrival, with regular trace, orthogonal and bidemensional for

ordering urban soil, serves as mot to reinforce brazilian-domain rural-agriculture

versus imigrant – city – industry duality, as recently observed by Antônio Candido.15

In synthesis, railroads constructions process implied, noy only in great investments

of private money and in bright collaboration among brazilian and foreign

professionals, giving place to the consolidation of a diciplinary area and towards

12 TAFURI, M.; DAL CO, F.Contemporaneous Architecture. Col. Storia Universale

dell'architettura. 2ª edição. Milano: Electa, 1998. Also see CIUCCI, G.; DAL CO, F.; MANIERI-

ELIA, M.; TAFURI, M. La ciudad american: de la guerra al New Deal.Architecture Library.

Barcelon: Editorial gustavo Gilli, S.A.

13 HOLANDA, S.B. Op.cit.

14 The first work edition dates 1936, being reedited and reviewed for a second and third

times, in 1947ande 1955 respectively.It is prefaced in first and second edition by Antônio

Candido and in third by its own author. It also has a Post-Scriptum made by Evaldo Cabral de

Mello.

15 CÂNDIDO, A. The meaning of “Brazilian roots”. São Paulo: letters Company, 1995.


C O N F E R E N C E

São Paulo state urban culture, but its activities translated in technical and theorical

for the urban space configuration and reconfiguration, for the making up of

landscape repertory and for the creation or remodeling of old wides, squares and

gardens from Republican System .

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15th INTERNATIO NAL PLANNING HISTO RY SO CIETY · 15th internatio nal planning histo ry so ciety conference the grid and its variations on the extensive occupation of the west of