Planning Latin America's Capital Cities 1850-1950

297 Pages·2002·164.935 MB·English

by  Arturo Almandoz Marte (editor)

ro
Planning Latin America's
Capital Cities,
1850-1950
(1j
Copyrighted Material
Planning, History and the Environment series
Editor:
Professor Dennis Hardy, Middlesex University, UK
Editorial Board:
Professor Arturo Almandoz, Universidad Simon Bolivar, Caracas, Venezuela
Professor Nezar AlSayyad, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Professor Eugenie L. Birch, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
Professor Robert Bruegmann, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
Professor Jeffrey W. Cody, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Professor Robert Freestone, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Professor David Gordon, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Professor Sir Peter Hall, University College London, UK
Dr Peter Larkham, University of Central England, Birmingham, UK
Professor Anthony Sutcliffe, Nottingham University, UK
Technical Editor
Ann Rudkin, Alexandrine Press, Oxford, UK
Published titles Planning the Great Metropolis: The 1929 Regional Plan of
The Rise of Modern Urban Planning, 1800-1914 edited by New York and Its Environs by David A. Johnson
Anthony Sutcliffe Rural Change and Planning: England and Wales in the twenti
Shaping an Urban World: Planning in the twentieth century eth century by Gordon E. Cherry and Alan Rogers
edited by Gordon E. Cherry Of Planting and Planning: The making of British colonial
Planning for Conservation: An international perspective edited cities by Robert Home
by Roger Kain Planning Europe's Capital Cities: Aspects of nineteenth-cen
Metropolis 1980-1940 edited by Anthony Sutcliffe tury urban development by Thomas Hall
Arcadia for All: The legacy of a makeshift landscape by Dennis Politics and Preservation: A policy history of the built heritage,
Hardy and Colin Ward 1882-1996 by John Delafons
Planning and Urban Growth in Southern Europe edited by Selling Places: The marketing and promotion of towns and
Martin Ward cities, 1850-2000 by Stephen V. Ward
Thomas Adams and the Modern Planning Movement: Britain, Changing Suburbs: Foundation, form and function edited by
Canada and the United States by Michael Simpson Richard Harris and Peter Larkham
Holford: A study in architecture, planning and civic design by The Australian Metropolis: A planning history edited by
Gordon E. Cherry and Leith Penny Stephen Hamnett and Robert Freesrone
Goodnight Campers! The history of the British holiday camp Utopian England: Community experiments 1900-1945 by
by Colin Ward and Dennis Hardy Dennis Hardy
Model Housing: From the Great Exhibition to the Festival of Urban Planning in a Changing World: The twentieth experi
Britain by S. Martin Gaskell ence edited by Robert Freestone
Two Centuries of American Planning edited by Daniel Schaffer Titles published in 2001
Planning and Urban Growth in the Nordic Countries edited Twentieth-Century Suburbs: A morphological approach by
by Thomas Hall J.W.R. Whitehand and C.M.H. Carr
From Garden Cities to New Towns: Campaigning for town Council Housing and Culture: The history of a social experi
and country planning, 1899-1946 by Dennis Hardy ment by Alison Ravetz
From New Towns to Green Politics: Campaigning for town
Titles to be published in 2002
and country planning 1946-1990 by Dennis Hardy
The Garden City: Past, present and future edited by Stephen Planning Latin America's Capital Cities, 1850-1950 edited by
V. Ward Arturo Almandoz
The Place of Home: English domestic environments by Alison Exporting American Architecture, 1870-2000 by Jeffrey W. Cody
Ravetz with Richard Turkington
Prefabs: A history of the UK temporary housing programme by
Brenda Vale
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8!.)
Planning Latin America's
Capital Cities,
1850-1950
edited by Arturo Almandoz
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First published 2002 by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge, 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
© 2002 Selection and editorial matter: Arturo Almandoz; individual chapters: the contributors
Typeset in Garamond by PNR Design, Didcot, Oxfordshire
Printed and bound in Great Britain by St Edmundsbury Press, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
This book was commissioned and edited by Alexandrine Press, Oxford
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any informa
tion storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in
this book and cannot accept legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN 0-415-27265-3
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Contents
ro
01
Foreword by Anthony Sutcliffe
Vll
The Contributors IX
Acknowledgements XI
1 Introduction 1
Arturo Almandoz
2 Urbanization and Urbanism in Latin America: from Haussmann to ClAM 13
Arturo Almandoz
I CAPITALS OF THE BOOMING ECONOMIES
3 Buenos Aires, A Great European City 45
Ramon Gutierrez
4 The Time of the Capitals. Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo: Words, Actors
and Plans 75
Margareth da Silva Pereira
5 Cities within the City: Urban and Architectural Transfers in Santiago de Chile,
1840-1940 109
Fernando Perez Oyarzun and jose Rosas Vera
II EARLY VICEREGAL CAPITALS
6 The Urban Development of Mexico City, 1850-1930 139
Carol McMichael Reese
7 The Script of Urban Surgery: Lima, 1850-1940 170
Gabriel Ramon
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VI PLANNING LATIN AMERICA'S CAPITAL CITIES, 1850-1950
III THE CARIBBEAN RIM AND CENTRAL AMERICA
8 Havana, from Tac6n to Forestier 193
Roberto Segre
9 Caracas: Territory, Architecture and Urban Space 214
Lorenzo Gonzalez Casas
10 Urbanism, Architecture, and Cultural Transformations in San Jose, Costa Rica,
1850-1930 241
Florencia Quesada
11 Conclusions 271
Arturo Almandoz
Index 275
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Foreword
In 1974 Gordon Cherry and I convened a Urban Planning in a Changing World (2000). In
meeting of historians, social scientists and plan a series which is mainly author-led, large
ners at the Centre for Urban and Regional areas of the world, such as Eastern Europe
Studies, University of Birmingham. The meet and the former Soviet Union, remain uncov
ing was intended to promote the study of the ered. A volume of essays on planning in the
history of urban and regional planning in Middle East is at an advanced stage of prepa
Britain, but it also generated an international ration, but Africa and South-east Asia remain
awareness. When the two of us launched a outstanding.
series of books in planning history in 1980, we Arturo Almandoz's proposal for a volume
envisaged an international scope or what we of planning history essays on Latin America
believed to be the world's only dedicated plan was first put to the series editors in 1999. It
ning history series. Now, twenty years later was immediately encouraged and, under the
and with a new editor, the series still strives creative and energetic guidance of the editor,
to attract the best international work, on indi it has quickly materialized. Like the other
vidual places and countries, on international regional volumes, it does not attempt to
movements by planners, and on world flows cover the planning history of all the countries
of planning ideas. in the region. Nor does it discuss the entire
The idea that the series should include vol history of planning there, which goes back to
umes of planning history essays devoted to the ancient civilizations of the Mayas and
continents or to large groups of territories dates other peoples. Instead, it identifies a period
back to the early days of series. However, there in which modern urban planning is exported
has been no rigid plan or programme for to Latin America from Europe, at a time
books of this type. Martin Wynn's Southern when Latin American economies and soci
Europe (1984) and Daniel Schaffer's United eties are largely transformed by their links
States (1988) have been closest to the con with Europe. This process begins in about
cept. Much international work has been pub 1860 and ends in the 1930s when United
lished in themed volumes such as Thomas States influence takes over.
Hall's study of the planning of European cap The original title of this book, 'Paris Goes
ital cities (1997) and books emerging from West', sums up its theme. Almost every capi
the world conferences of the International Plan tal city in Latin America was influenced by
ning History Society such as Robert Freestone's Beaux-Arts architecture and planning. French
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Vlll PLANNING LATIN AMERICA'S CAPITAL CITIES, IH50-I950
experts visited Latin America to advise and in in use. In Latin America the widespread use
many cases to prepare designs and plans them of Spanish has produced a common under
selves. The best architectural students in Latin standing of urban matters, and the small
America went to study in Europe, most of French- have conformed to that understand
them in Paris. Rapid urbanization in Latin ing. Even the huge Portuguese-speaking terri
America tended to reproduce conditions tory of Brazil has looked mainly to France,
which Europe had already encountered and receiving its quota of experts and practition
to some extent mastered. Political and admin ers from that country. This self-conscious
istrative reforms created a basis for city gov urbanismo has given a real strength and rich
ernment which could draw on European ness to planning debates in Latin America,
example. The result was a series of impressive more so perhaps than anywhere else in the
cities, some of which, like Buenos Aires, bid world since the Soviet Union of the early
fair to surpass Paris in scale and grandeur. 1920s. The onset of American influence
This may look like a standard process of around 1940 affected it but it is still a big fea
diffusion of planning ideas, already explored ture of Latin American culture.
in the British Empire and in the history of the Arturo Almandoz's introductory chapter
Modern Movement. However, Almandoz expands on the relationship between tech
and his authors draw something more from nique, politics and culture in Latin American
the specifically Latin culture of urbanismo planning. This unique context helps to
which is used to contextualize both planning explain the distinctive features of planning in
and architecture. Drawn partly from French each country. The book provides a new per
literary and sociological thinking since the spective on international planning, and the
late nineteenth century, urbanismo is a com editor is to be congratulated on a unique
prehensive means of understanding the city. achievement.
As an amalgam of ideas and images, it can
easily be diffused within and between coun Anthony Sutcliffe
tries, especially when a common language is University of Nottingham
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Contributors
Arturo Almandoz is Associate Professor in Ramon Gutierrez is Senior Researcher at
the Urban Planning Department, Simon the National Council of Scientific Research
Bolivar University, Caracas, where he was (CONICET), Argentina, consultant of
Chairman of the Urbanism programme UNESCO on the issues of Latin American
(1996-1998). Among other books, he has heritage, a member of the Academies of
published Urbanismo europeo en Caracas History and Fine Arts in Argentina, Spain
(1870-1940) (1997), which received three and Latin American countries. He has writ
national and local awards, and an interna ten widely on Latin American architecture
tional mention. He has written on the and urbanism, including his book Buenos
emergence of modern urbanism and metro Aires. Evoluci6n hist6rica (1992). ramongut@
politan culture. almandoz@usb. ve interserver.com.ar.
Margareth da Silva Pereira teaches on the Carol McMichael Reese teaches in the
Post-Graduate Programme in Urbanism School of Architecture at Tulane Univer
(PROURB) in the Faculty of Architecture at sity, New Orleans. She was an organizer
the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. and co-curator of the 1999-2000 exhibi
Among many publications on the arrival of tion 'Buenos Aires 1910, Memories of the
modern urbanism in Brazilian cities, she is World to Come', which appeared at venues
co-author of Le Corbusier eo Brasil (1987), in Buenos Aires, Washington, and New
which won an award from the Brazilian York. Her current research includes studies
Institute of Architects. [email protected] of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Latin
American architecture and urbanism, par
Lorenzo Gonzalez Casas is Professor in the ticularly in Mexico and Panama. creese 1@
Urban Planning Department, Simon Bolivar tulane.edu
University, Caracas, where he has been Direct
or of the Institute of Urban and Regional Fernando Perez Oyarzun is Professor at the
Studies since 1997. He was also Chairman Catholic University of Santiago de Chile,
of the Urbanism programme (1988-1991). where he was Director of the School of
His doctoral thesis at Cornell University Architecture (1987-1990) and Dean of its
was on Modernity and the City: Caracas Faculty of Architecture and Fine Arts. He
1935-1958 (1996). [email protected] has published extensively on the influence
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