Since the arrival of the Royal family (1808), the urban question was addressed from a hygienist perspective - present in public debate since the 18th century. Championed by sanitary physicians and engineers, the projects presented ideas for intervention in urban space based on solving problems of health and housing: the filling in of mangroves and ditches; the expansion of urban limits; water and sewage piping, and the determination of housing forms and building appearance.
In the 1840s, the elites and the Council of State expressed interest in carrying out improvements in the urban center. On September 23, 1843, a project was presented to the Municipal Council
by the director of the Department of Municipal Works, the military officer with a background in engineering Henrique Beaurepaire-Rohan, the first formal urban planning scheme for the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Image description: This is an oval-shaped photograph of an elderly man. He is wearing a military uniform with distinctive ornaments and medals hanging from it. His beard is white and long, and he wears glasses. The background is black, highlighting the central subject.Henrique de Beaurepaire-Rohan, responsible for the city's first urban planning scheme - c. 1890. Wikimedia Commons.
The report made explicit that disorderly growth was tied to public health issues and that, in order to achieve progress and the hoped-for "civilized society," it was necessary to reorganize the entire city of Rio de Janeiro. The document neatly summarized the concerns of the era: salubrity and beauty, as it was divided into public health and the "beautification of the city." The diagnosis revealed the gap between economic progress and the city's limitations, factors that involved, beyond insalubrity, the mismatch generated by population growth — a result of migration — and exposed the limits of public services, such as the water supply, which was still provided by public fountains.
To solve the problems with water and sewage, Beaurepaire proposed installing pipelines that would run from the Carioca and Maracanã rivers and supply all the houses.
Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving. The image shows an old fountain located in Carioca. From left to right, we see people sitting and standing, some with containers on their heads. In the center, there is a large architectural structure with several human figures carved into its base. On the right, there is a tower with ornamental details. At the bottom of the image, it reads "Antigo Chafariz da Carioca."Chafariz da Carioca. Lithograph by Ludwigg and Briggs, 1845. BN Digital Collection
Among the project's proposals, which aligned with hygienist discourse, was the need for the demolition of Morro do Castelo - which would contribute to the extension of the urban perimeter -, the planting of trees along the streets, which would promote beautification and favor air circulation; the establishment of cemeteries in the outskirts of the city, putting an end to burials in churches, as well as the transfer of the city's Slaughterhouse to São Cristóvão.
On streets, squares, and buildings, the report proposed the widening and opening of new streets, with standardized dimensions,
geometrically regular blocks and the remodeling of buildings in terms of shape and appearance. In addition, the engineer proposed the creation of eight new squares, reviving architect Grandjean de Montigny's project to redesign Campo de Santana and build public buildings around it.
The expansion of the city also appeared in the report, which anticipated connections with the areas of Botafogo (opening up occupation of the waterfront), São Cristóvão and Engenho Velho (a route to Alto da Boa Vista, passing through Tijuca and Andaraí), favoring the consolidation of Cidade Nova and Praça XI from the landfill of the Mangue de São Diogo.
Although his Plan was not approved by the City Council, many of the proposals it contained were later implemented, such as the transfer of the public slaughterhouse to São Cristóvão, the construction of water pipelines through the Maracanã and Carioca rivers, and the installation of a sewage network. Eleven years after the Plan was presented, a network was installed in part of the city by the English company "Rio de Janeiro City Improvements," and Rio became the first city in Latin America to have a household sewage network.
Image description: This is an old photograph of a monumental gate. The main structure is made of gray stone, with a central arch that allows access. To the left of the gate there is a small structure, also made of stone, which appears to be a house or an auxiliary building. To the right, there is a sign with the name "Portão do Maladouro, hoje P. da Bandeira." In the background, we see a large tree and part of the street. An old car is parked near the gate, indicating that the photo was taken in a period when cars already existed but were still rare.The São Cristóvão Slaughterhouse (1853) and its only remaining trace, the restored portico, now located in Praça da Bandeira. Photo by Augusto Malta, 1920s. From the Inventários dos Monumentos RJ website.
