A circulação e as transformações na rede urbana no Piauí

Abstract

Since the 19th century, the technification of the territory has been treated in Brazil as synonymous with modernization, with emphasis on transport, communication, and energy infrastructure. In this context, the country gradually underwent a process of urbanization, which intensified in the second half of the 20th century. The acceleration promoted by transportation redefined the relationships between towns and cities, allowing, throughout the 20th century, the constitution of an urban network that was no longer regionally isolated. In this thesis, we propose to analyze the role of the predominant forms of circulation from the second half of the 19th century in the conformation and transformation of the urban network in Piauí. To this end, we seek to understand the forms of circulation that have predominated in the territory of Piauí since the colonial period, highlighting the relationships between the forms of circulation, the different uses of the territory, and its transformations. In addition, we seek to present the economic dynamics prioritized for Piauí in the first decades of the 21st century and the recent transformations related to circulation in the state. Based on bibliographic and documentary research activities, the analysis of historical cartography, statistics, reports, and messages, we seek elements to present the changes in forms of transportation and their territorial repercussions. Thus, we have demonstrated that navigation on the Parnaíba River in the 19th century led to the proliferation of cities along its banks, bringing the seat of political and economic power to the riverfront. Later, railroads and, above all, the proliferation of roads and highways channeled commercial centers and territorial divisions to the banks of these routes, multiplying the number of cities and altering the roles played by small and medium-sized urban centers. Although part of the changes observed are directly related to the advancement of agribusiness in the state, we demonstrate the relationship between changes in the urban network and the implementation of transportation infrastructure and means of transport, which altered the relationships and flows between cities, with the predominant forms of transportation from the second half of the 19th century playing a central role in the formation and transformation of the urban network in Piauí.