The criation of a civility space in Natal, Augusto Severo Square (1845-1913)

Abstract

In the nineteenth century the centrality of Natal was threatened by other commercial outlets, appearedto circumvent the natural barriers that hindered the flow of production in the province of Rio Grande do Norte in the capital. It is even conjectured to move the capital in 1873 to seek new solutions to thisdispute. In the late nineteenth century a new investment cycle is outlined. It is marked by the introduction of a new means of transport that dramatically altered spatiotemporal scale. This equipment marked the arrival of modernity in the territorial interventions in urban networks that earned a more deliberative character. The new territorial policies were clearly aimed at the centralization of capital flows. Is to enhance the profits of a particular railroad, or to comply with a national plan for strengthening the capital port the goal was the same: concentrate on a single point - the capital - the means of transport. The control of territory left very visible physical landmarks in the Capital. Thispaper aims to demonstrate how these territorial politics was evidenced in the urban capital of Rio Grande do Norte, helping to build a new centrality in the city, which later established itself as its main performance space of civility.