Da colônia de cima à cidade alta: formação e ordenamento territorial do espaço urbano em Juiz de Fora (MG)

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the process of territorial formation and spatial planning of the Cidade Alta region in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, understanding it as a historically produced territory. The study begins with an investigation of the initial occupation linked to German immigration, stemming from the establishment of the Dom Pedro II Agricultural Colony in the mid-nineteenth century, regarded as a fundamental milestone in the territorial configuration of the region. This occupation, guided by an agrarian and colonial logic, structured specific forms of land use and occupation and established the material and symbolic foundations that conditioned subsequent processes of urbanization. Throughout the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, the former Colônia de Cima was progressively incorporated into the urban fabric of Juiz de Fora, in a movement mediated by state action and public policies of urban development. This process gains centrality in the second half of the twentieth century, especially during the Brazilian military dictatorship, a period marked by the intensification of national policies of urban planning and decentralization. Within this context, Juiz de Fora came to occupy a strategic position in the regional urban network, and Cidade Alta was conceived as a priority area for planned urban expansion, consolidating itself as a space for the materialization of state guidelines for territorial planning.The research adopts an approach grounded in Historical Geography and the critical analysis of territorial planning, articulating different spatial and temporal scales. Methodologically, it is based on a bibliographic review, documentary research, and the analysis of historical and cartographic sources, enabling the identification of continuities, ruptures, and re-significations in the production of space in Cidade Alta. The analysis demonstrates that the consolidation of this region does not result exclusively from the policies implemented during the military dictatorship, but rather from a broader historical process in which the initial occupation was appropriated, reconfigured, and progressively replaced by state action. It is concluded that Cidade Alta constitutes a strategic territory within the urban dynamics of Juiz de Fora, whose contemporary configuration expresses the articulation between economic interests and technical planning projects. By integrating different historical moments and rationalities of territorial ordering, the study contributes to deepening reflections on the production of urban space in Brazilian mediumsized cities, highlighting the role of the State and public policies in territorial planning.