15th INT ERNATIONAL PLANNING HISTORY SOCIETY CONF ERENCE

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1 PAPER TITLE: Anglo-Brazilian Living in the Victorian Period: A Mining Town Case Study AUTHOR NAME: Staël Pereira Costa Alvarenga (Adjunct Teacher) Address: Escola de Arquitetura, Departamento de Urbanismo, Rua Paraíba 697, Sala 404C, Bairro dos Funcionários, , Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil staelpcosta@terra.com.br Abstract This paper intends to examine the association between British settlers in the Minas Gerais province of Brazil during the Victorian period and the development of a mining town, Nova Lima. Utilizing the results of a doctoral study the work examines the urban forms of Nova Lima, which was urbanized in the nineteenth century by an English mining company, and as a consequence of this influence evolved with a distinct form which reflected the tendencies of the Victorians who came to Brazil for the purpose of exploiting the region s mineral resources. The mining company in Nova Lima, for instance, employed familiar Victorian ideas and principles about living, such as those evident in British model settlements in the nineteenth century. It may be presumed therefore that the town acted as a laboratory for contemporary British urban theories in the Brazilian context. By way of example, the local sewage and water supply system were not just improved so to make the employees physically healthier, happier and more productive but to help in controlling them as well. Facilities like schools, hospitals, shops, bakeries, clubs and football fields were thus provided to also assist the mining management in morally controlling the labourers. Worker housing too was laid out on according to paternalistic values with varying types of accommodations provided for the differing skill levels and importance of the population. To conclude, the Victorian ways of the British and their influence upon Nova Lima will be highlighted by examining range of elements in Nova Lima, such as the infrastructure, buildings, urban forms and general life found within the settlement during the nineteenth century. Key words: Brazil, Paternalism, Victorian, English THE STRUCTURE OF NOVA LIMA S URBAN LANDSCAPE IN 2012 The city of Nova Lima is structured with access roads, which connect the main center of business and services to its historical nucleus. This core nucleus was set up along a penetration axis, which shaped its urban occupation during the colonial period. The nucleus is surrounded to the north and northeast and to the south by the urbanization implemented by the Saint John Del Rey Mining Company in the nineteenth century, which is known for its organic traits and low population density. By contrast, the southeastern and eastern regions of the city stemmed from the expansion of the colonial axis and were placed in very steep areas, consisting of dense housing fabric within the poor suburbs, typical products of the urbanization of the twentieth century.

2 Figure 1- Map of the urban structure of Nova Lima. Source: A morfologia urbana das cidades metropolitanas do ciclo do ouro. Relatório final de pesquisa. FAPEMIG p. 45 THE SHAPING OF THE NOVA LIMA S URBAN FORM The urban form of Nova Lima is shaped by two creeks the Cristais Creek and the Cardoso Creek confined by enclosed valleys and steep hillsides. The Cristais creek, the main creek of the region, sectioned the urban form for centuries and initially flowed in the northern and western directions within the narrow valley demarcated by two hydrographic basins. The terrain and the foundational structure direct the urban form, which is generated in the valley located between the property of the Morro Velho mine and the Cristais Creek. The new occupations follow these directions and shape a typical form of a city with enclosed and steep valleys, in which the various links join at a main axis, which induces the appearance of new areas that follow the same model. The main regions of the municipality contain urban fabrics that reflect the action of a wide range of economic agents that have left their mark on the city s urban form. This form is shaped by the strong characteristic of the terrain, which provides pedestrians with small overlooks of this urban landscape. Among the urban fabrics identified in the urban forms of this city, some stand out either due to the organic traits or the orthogonal mess or due to the residential and non-residential styles. All, however, possess typical traits, which allow for its characterization as urban fabrics, stemming from the planning policies inspired by the urban models of English companies of Victorian influence. These fabrics were implemented as of 1843 and are an important part of studies concerning the urban forms of this city. PROCEDURES AND METHOLODOLOGIES To identify the constructed forms according to the norms established by model company towns, it was necessary to adopt specific premises to conduct the investigation and posterior analysis. As such, the present study adopted the premise of landscape seen as a system 1 given that this reflects not only a partial relation with the whole (the city with 1 MACEDO, Quadro do paisagismo no Brasil p. 13.

3 the region), but more importantly, because of the support-coverage relation. The second premise is that which considers the landscape as a product 2. In the case, the forms, which reflect the actions of the society, are understood as the products, as, observed by MAGNOLI: Landscape is the physical support on which a society is structured, whose morphology is the result of the interaction between the logic of support processes (geological and climatic systems) and the logic of the social and cultural (anthropic) processes. MAGNOLI, Espaços livres e urbanização: uma introdução a aspectos da paisagem metropolitana, p. 47. This notion is also present in Urban Morphology, which considers the urban form as a product of resolutions (planning policies) applied to space over time. The urban forms were therefore considered as such because the complexities of their components require the adoption of a method of specific analysis (in this case, the instrumental) contained within Urban Morphology 3. THE APPLICATION OF URBAN MORPHOLOGY METHODS IN THE ANALYSIS OF THE URBAN FORMS IN QUESTION From the Urban Morphology procedures, those that provided the means through which to identify and select the elements of the urban forms of Nova Lima were chosen. The theory concerning the appearance of the urban nuclei from the circulation routes can be applied to the formation of the urban space in question and was used to define the structuring of the urban corridors and urban occupation vectors. These standards result from the application of certain ideological and artistic tendencies, which influenced the architectonic style, and the use of coating materials, in turn defining the standards that configure a specific urban fabric (TAFURI 4, 1980). The local urban spatial structuring, and consequently its form, is result from a socioeconomic process that, throughout its history time period from 1693 to 2012 was responsible for the establishment of particular forms which interact within themselves, constituting the landscape. Within this, the fabrics of English influence, which will be described below, stand out. THE URBAN FABRICS OF ENGLISH INFLUENCE IN NOVA LIMA The results from the resolutions implemented by the English company in Nova Lima were analyzed according to the following variables: time, planning policies, and product. Time includes the time period between the second and third period of urban development within the city and corresponds to the years from 1834 to THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE MODEL VICTORIAN INDUSTRIAL COMPANY TOWNS In 1834, the English company, Saint John Del Rey Mining Company, acquired the mining and land exploration rights from the Morro Velho Farm. This company was funded by English capital from company partners from the English middle class, called Fabians.5 The negotiations for the acquisition of the Morro Velho farm and the regulations for its implementation were established by intellectuals from the English nobility and upper class. The Saint John Del Rey Mining Company suffered the influence of typical politics from company towns, from England itself, and 2. This premise contemplates the conceptualization of the contemporary view of landscape, as set forth by Delpoux, who, in 1972, defined landscape as a spatial entity which corresponds to the sum of a geomorphological type together with coverage, and by Odun (1976), who considered it to be a result of a process of interaction between its coverage and its support. This view is radically opposite to the traditional view of landscape as a region (See also BLEY, Morretes: um estudo de paisagem valorizada p. 123) or to the view of a landscape as a panorama. Milton Santos (1982) contributed to amplifying the concept of landscape, affirming that everything is a landscape and that all the modalities of the landscape are present in this system of relations. Therefore, landscapes include the free areas, the forests, the rivers, the urban and suburban spaces, and the urban areas. In this manner, the concept broadens for urban areas to become landscapes, understood as neighborhoods, streets, and urban fabrics. 3 For Urban Morphology methods, see also PEREIRA COSTA, Stael A (2001) in Topos vol I p TAFURI, M. Architecture and Utopia p GUNN. O paradigma da cidade jardim na Vila Fabiana da reforma urbana p. 9.

4 from the northern regions of the United States. This influence would be observed by the adoption of a paternalistic ideology, which imposed the supply of housing for all its workers, both slaves and free, employed in the mine, as well as the possibility of these workers purchasing goods in partner warehouses. During this time period, the experience form English company towns, mainly those from Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool, were already quite widespread throughout England.6 The planning schemes of rows of houses were easy to reproduce, as this was used to house slaves and even low-skilled workers. The typical planning schemes of English Victorian industrial cities were set up in Nova Lima and, later, would spread throughout a wide range of nuclei from the Rio das Velhas Valley. Regarding this type of organization, Morley et al commented: The functional layouts of Unwin, pioneered in the three most important and influential planning schemes in the early 1900s, New Earswick (1901), Letchworth Garden City (1904) and Hampstead Garden Suburb (1904), resulted in environmental standards being set which were not eclipsed for many years. These private developments made massive contributions to Town Planning in its embryo years. Low density residential planning with semi-detached houses designed in a variety of cottage styles within a setting of open space and foliage was discovered to be a subtle remedy to urban ills. Importantly, too, these standards were employed within other schemes, which produced an international culture of superior environmental quality. Morley and Crawer A M - Sustainable Urban Development: The Example of Victorian Cities in Britain p. 9 In England, this type of urbanization give rise to the creation of local and public administrative districts, run by the city halls; however, in the Saint John Del Rey Mining Company, this took on a more private character, under the responsibility of the company s maintenance department. PLANNING POLICIES The planning policies for the construction of the industrial city were based on the following key ideologies Control exercised by the construction of isolated neighborhoods, annexed to the original nucleus; Functional hierarchy materialized through different residential types; The best form of implementation in the terrain, avoiding cuts and dumps; The reproduction of typological models; The recreation of an English urban landscape, through the local vegetation and the implementation of a curved road system; According to this definition, the English company began to organize7 the spaces for housing according to the worker s hierarchical role. The residential neighborhoods of lower density were reserved for the more highly educated workers. The subdivision project would be characterized by the typology of the organic subdivision controlled by entrance gates. This type of implementation, following an organic model, can also be observed in the neighborhoods reserved for low-skilled workers, structured by means of narrow pathways which connected the access streets to the morphological complexes set up on its hillsides. The streets are constructed and contain deep storm drains located next to the alignment of the houses to channel pluvial water, which is conducted toward very steep glens. In the residential units, septic tanks are constructed. In addition, the prediction for all necessary support equipment was made: schools, hospitals, housing in the field for workers children during vacations or on weekends, as well as sports equipment. In Nova Lima, all of these facilities were first implemented in the surrounding areas of the Old Mine and, later, extended east and west, encircling the original village of Congonhas de Sabará, the former name of the village in the eighteenth century. In the projects which contained the sketches of the buildings, the following recommendation can be observed: 6 BENÉVOLO. As origens da urbanística moderna p Archives from the Saint John Mining Company. Mapoteca do Centro de Memória da Cia Anglo Gold

5 The country around about the mine is hilly and mountainous; consequently, it is not always possible to allow for the garden to be located in the position shown in the detached and semidetached houses, but every endeavor will be made to let the workpeople have a garden. Lynch claims: [...] the British built many settlements like these whose main motive was to maintain control over the others, much like the main emotions of the conquistadors of pride, fear, and a feeling of exile The society was meticulously stratified, and the distinct settlement was distributed in functional categories, salary standards, and places of residence. The sheer height of the residential lot and its panoramic view were applied to express social dominance. The English lived in low density complexes, in which there were places for recreation and, where possible, English landscapes. The space was used to express social distance and control the contacts between the native population and the colonizers. All of the landscape was structured to make the imposed social structure visible and solid. The separation was controlled and, at the same time, controlled the nostalgia of the foreigners and the anxiety of the intruders. Lynch, Kevin. La Buena forma de la Ciudad p. 25. This aspect was also mentioned by AMBE (2009) upon identifying the mechanisms over which the dominant political forces exercised their dominion by means of mechanisms imposed within a constructed environment. By enumerating the five means, he emphasizes the segregation as an instrument of power among individuals to exercise control and explains that this, in colonial Africa, was the main instrument used to establish racial segregation. The means through which segregation is established are due to, as Lynch describes, the division and establishment of gates, guard stations to separate the space by means of social classes, status, gender, race, and culture, among other attributes of the occupants. This aspect was also observed in Nova Lima in the nineteenth century. THE PRODUCTS OF THE MODEL VICTORIAN INDUSTRIAL COMPANY TOWNS The products were analyzed within two basic categories, the land subdivision as well as the residential and non-residential building typologies. From this classification, one can identify the nearly four urban fabrics that were part of the product of the day, which contain approximately ten residential types. URBAN FABRIC NUMBER 02: Urban fabric number 02 is that represented by buildings geared toward manufacturing and derivatives activities. This fabric consists of warehouses, terminals, offices, storage areas, and benefitiation areas from the gold exploration set up in Nova Lima. This urban fabric appears in its organization and formal precision of the distribution of activities in the space geared toward the benefitiation of gold, at the expense of the informal and improvised character of the gold exploration in alluvial deposits shortly after The subdivision is the result of the adaptation of the local terrain, which is quite irregular and steep, whose streets are constructed in pathways that encircle the steep areas at differential levels, forming terraces where the newly constructed areas are implemented in irregular, longitudinal blocks without defined contours and with few intersections. A view of the urban fabric 2 can be observed in the following figure:

6 Figure 2- The implementation of urban fabric number 02 and the city of Nova Lima. Source: A morfologia urbana das cidades metropolitanas do ciclo do ouro. Relatório final de pesquisa. FAPEMIG p.63 URBAN FABRIC NUMBER 03 The subdivision which characterizes urban fabric number 03 occurs in the form of long blocks divided into large lots, located on the hillsides, where the single-family residential units are constructed. These are implemented in the middle of the lot and pulled back from the divisions. The gardens can be found in the front, in the form of large lawns, and in the back, together with yards with fruit trees. The superintendent s residence was constructed in the middle of an area of expressive dimensions on the highest plateau, making it the most visible point of the city, symbolizing power, as it could be seen by all, thus maintaining control over everyone. These aspects can be observed in figure 03.

7 Figure 3- PANSICA. E. The residence of the superintendent Source: A morfologia urbana das cidades metropolitanas do ciclo do ouro. Relatório final de pesquisa. FAPEMIG p.67 In the worker neighborhoods, there were typological elements that were similar to those geared toward the more highly educated workers residences. These fabrics can be found in the neighborhoods of Nova Lima and were occupied by the bosses of the Saint John Del Rey Mining Company, as well as used for the houses of the company s upper management. This fabric was implemented in the neighborhood called Quintas.

8 Figure 4- Characteristics of the subdivision of urban fabric number , Source: A morfologia urbana das cidades metropolitanas do ciclo do ouro. Relatório final de pesquisa. FAPEMIG p.78 A variation of elements can be observed in this fabric, with the lowering of the land forming two residences of similar standard, but joined together. One can observe similar elements, but with a smaller dimension than that described above, maintaining the same coating material and the implementation of the lot. The residential type consists of residential unit complexes of only one story, at times joined and set up in hillside areas, but pulled back from the outer limits of the lot constructed by the Saint John Del Rey Mining Company. The city s system did not contain sidewalks, and the outer limits between the paths and the lot was defined by deep storm drains and row of live fences. URBAN FABRIC NUMBER 04 Urban fabric number 04 consists of standards of residential units built by the English mining company to house its workers, characterized by residential units of only one story, implemented in a row, or in a half wall, or in single houses 8. This implementation occurs in flat terrains and forms an orthogonal mesh, generally in the valleys near rivers and on hilltops. 8 The use criteria used by the local population was adopted to classify these types.

9 Figure 5- Insertion of urban fabric 04 in the natural site in Nova Lima Authors archives. Source: A morfologia urbana das cidades metropolitanas do ciclo do ouro. Relatório final de pesquisa. FAPEMIG p.78 The implementation of urban fabric number 04 is characteristic of the flat or semi-flat areas, in which one attempts to implement a large number of units, without excessive costs, together with restraining walls or earthworks. From this observation, one can conclude that the principle which guided these urbanizations was always that of the best adaptation of the morphological complex to the terrain, to allow for the construction of as many housing units as possible. The dismembering of the lots also repeats the differential standard in the area constructed for the slaves. The occupation occurred in the alignment of the street, where the houses in a row were constructed with the annex in the back: bathrooms and tanks in which to wash clothes. Figure 6- Residential type number 01 of urban fabric number Authors archives. Source: A morfologia urbana das cidades metropolitanas do ciclo do ouro. Relatório final de pesquisa. FAPEMIG p.78.

10 CONSIDERATIONS The implementation of the English industrial model in the city of Nova Lima and its standard of functionality can also be identified in the industrial mining cities implemented in the Iron Ore Quadrilateral regions (Quadrilátero Ferrífero) of the state of Minas Gerais. These planning schemes models can be found in the cities of Sabará, Raposos, Barão de Cocais, Caeté, Itabira, and Rio Acima, among others. To the best of our knowledge, there are no systematized studies in the literature that prove this viewpoint, although the urban morphology of the urban nuclei of the Alto do Rio das Velhas region does seem to support this affirmation. There is a certain lack of knowledge surrounding the cultural value of these planning schemes models of industrial cities9 from mining companies from the twentieth century in Minas Gerais. Moreover, the mining and steelworking companies, the main owners of this heritage, have not invested in the preservation of these cultural goods. In Nova Lima, the Anglo Gold Company, which acquired the rights from the old Morro Velho Mining Company, with the support from city hall, has promoted the division and dismembering of these areas, which has contributed to the de-characterization and loss of its environmental and cultural quality. These unique examples can be integrated in tourist destinations regarding the interpretation of the cultural heritage to be divulged as examples of the gold mining periods during the nineteenth century in the Alto do Rio das Velhas region, as well as throughout the entire Estrada Real Circuit. The economy of Nova Lima has always been dependent on mining, and the industrial extraction activities performed by the Saint John Del Rey Mining Company have commonly attracted working populations from other regions. During this time, an intense reformation process could be observed, thus pointing out the formal de-characterization of old constructions in the region. It can be observed, therefore, that in 2012, the local population10 understands that these elements and artifacts are an integral part of their cultural heritage. In addition, the prior indifference has diminished. Proof of this can be found in the people s acceptance of municipal programs that promote events to give value to this cultural heritage. One such program is that which has been recovering the benches and the areas reserved for the preservation of headwaters as public reserves of environmental protection. The preservation of headwaters and historical heritage was also not a common practice observed by city hall, whose disinterest was demonstrated by the demolition of architectonic samples of the city s history: the Salles House, The Spanish Mansion and, finally, in the 1990 s, the former house of Marquês de Sapucaí. However, with the creation of Law 12040/95, which provides financial incentives to be reverted to public coffers, awarding the cities with returns in taxes (ICMS), if they establish effective policies for environmental and cultural preservation, the public powers, in 2004, demonstrated a greater interest in the heritage itself. With a view to receiving these possible financial returns, the city hall of Nova Lima began research on these housing units constructed by the English company for future preservation and analysis. REFERENCES AMBE, J. Njoh. Urban Planning as a tool of power and social control in colonial Africa. Planning Perspectives. Vol 24-3, Informa LTD. London. BENÉVOLO Leonardo. As origens da urbanística moderna. Lisboa: Editorial Presença, PEREIRA COSTA. Brazilian mining cities: a mosaic of urban forms p Another fact which demonstrated the new stance taken by the local population regarding its cultural heritage can be seen in the creation of a petition, directed toward the powers that be, in an attempt to preserve the Quintas neighborhood, upon facing a possible change in its zoning region which would allow for a greater construction capacity. Information was obtained through an interview with Dra. Luciana Custódio dos Santos.

11 DELPOUX, Marcel. Ecossistema e paisagem in série; métodos em questão. São Paulo: Universidade de São Paulo, GUNN, Philip. O paradigma de cidade-jardim na Vila Fabiana de reforma urbana. Espaço e debates: revista de estudos regionais e urbanos, São Paulo, ano XVII, n. 40, p , LIBBY, Douglas Cole. Trabalho escravo e capital estrangeiro no Brasil; o caso Morro de Velho. Belo Horizonte: Itatiaia, LYNCH, Kevin. La Buena Forma De la Ciudad; a theory of good city form. Trad. Eduard Mira. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, MACEDO, Silvio Soares. Quadro do paisagismo no Brasil. São Paulo: QUAPÁ FAU/USP, MAGNOLI, Miranda Martinelli. Espaços livres e urbanização: uma introdução a aspectos da paisagem metropolitana. Tese apresentada ao concurso de livre docência junto ao Departamento de Projeto da Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo, MINAMI, Issao. Vila Martin Smith, no alto da serra, em São Paulo, um modelo típico de model company town n (Estruturas ambientais urbanas) Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, (Tese de doutorado). MINERAÇÃO MORRO VELHO LTDA. Morro Velho, história, fatos e feitos. Nova Lima: Mineração Morro Velho, Arquivos da Saint John Mining Company. Mapoteca do Centro de Memória da Cia Anglo Gold MORLEY I; CRAVEN. A.M. Sustainable urban development: the example of Victorian cities in Britain. Srilank Conference on Cities and Sustainability Millennium. Srilank Proceedings, TAFFURRI, M. Architecture and utopia: design and capitalist development. 1 ed. The MIT Press. Cambridge PEREIRA COSTA, Staël de Alvarenga. Transformações e permanências no tempo da Savassi, Belo Horizonte. TOPOS, Belo Horizonte, v.1, n.1, p.80-92, jul/dez A morfologia urbana das cidades metropolitanas do ciclo do ouro. Relatório final de pesquisa. FAPEMIG Brazilian mining cities: a mosaic of urban forms. In: ISUF, 2001, Cincinnati. Proceedings of the International Seminar on Urban Form. Cincinnati, p The role of the landscape on shaping urban forms of colonial mining towns. In: The planned city? 2003, Trani. Proceedings of the International Seminar on Urban Form. Bari: Uniongrafica Corcelli Editrice, v.1, p Transformações, conflitos, perdas e permanências na paisagem sul metropolitana de Belo Horizonte Tese (Doutorado) Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo. A Morfologia dos tecidos urbanos de influência inglesa da cidade de Nova Lima. Revista Paisagem & Ambiente. FAU/USP,2008. p VILLELA, Bráulio Carsalade. Nova Lima - formação histórica. Belo Horizonte: Gráfica e Editora Cultural, 1998.