Thecityasacenterofinnovations

The city needed to modernize and advance services linked to the development of the coffee economy. The railway networks expanded along the tracks of the D. Pedro II Railroad (1858), populating the suburbs (rural parishes).

Public services expanded: from the urban cleaning system to water supply; from sanitation to the provision of transportation facilities, such as mule-drawn trams. And public lighting was renewed with gas lamps, starting in the 1850s.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph. The scene shows a horse-drawn tram stopped on the street. On the left, several people are inside the tram, some seated and others standing. On the right, a man is riding a mule, which is harnessed to the tram. In the background, there are houses and trees. Electric lines are visible in the sky, and the rooftops of the houses have traditional shapes.

The urban landscape changed and, with it, the ways of walking, dressing, and living in the city. The elites became increasingly concentrated along the southern waterfront, living in estates in the Freguesia da Glória (created in 1834) and in the Freguesia da Lagoa - which included part of what is now the Botafogo neighborhood and its waterfront. After the wealthy left, the working classes began occupying other areas of downtown, keeping the population density high. One of the main reasons for this continued presence was the need to stay close to work areas, given that the poorer classes had no mobility options for much of the 19th century.

Image description: This is an old photograph of a city in Rio de Janeiro state, with colonial-era buildings lining the river. On the left side, we see low, wide buildings, while on the right there is a large palace with a red roof. In the background, there is a hill covered in dense vegetation. The sky is clear and cloudless.

The large mansions became collective dwellings, and on the empty plots "workers' villages" were built. The idea of ending the overcrowding in the city center falls apart, and the effectiveness of the infrastructure created decreases.

Throughout the 19th century, the port region, from Gamboa to Saúde, was the center of the trade in enslaved people and was home to a large part of the urban Black population. For this reason, in the post-abolition period, it attracted many Bahian immigrants in search of cheap housing and work. In Praça Onze - an area of Cidade Nova located near the Pinto, Livramento, and Providência hills - many Black families settled and spread cultural and economic practices in their homes, such as casas de angu, Candomblé terreiros, and social spaces where they held parties and made music. Casa da Tia Ciata attracted many people for religious practices and celebrations, becoming an important space for the spread of Black culture, such as samba.

Image description: This is an old photograph of a mountainous city. On the left side, we see a series of houses and buildings scattered across the hillside. In the center, there is a group of buildings with tile roofs, surrounded by trees. On the right, more buildings extend to the horizon, where a row of palm trees can be seen. The sky is clear and cloudless. The image is in black and white. In the lower corner, there is an inscription that reads "Uma face do Morro de S. Pio."