OURO BRANCO/AÇOMINAS: UM ÚLTIMO CAPÍTULO DA HISTÓRIA DA PRODUÇÃO DO ESPAÇO PARA A INDÚSTRIA?

Abstract

The paper explores the close relationship between urbanization and industrialization in Minas Gerais throughthe case study of Açominas, a large scale steel mill built in the seventies and privatized in the eighties, andOuro Branco, a city planned and built as its urban support. The plan of the city is first discussed in the lightof national expectations concerning the expansion of that industrial branch at the time, and then comparedto other previous experiences of production of space as a result of industrial needs in other areas of MinasGerais. At the same time, some important implications are emphasized, as far as governance and the qualityof the urban space are concerned.Considering as a background the privatization of industry and a general restructuring of industrial production and goals, the paper explores some recent perspectives facing the future of both industry and the city. Someof the alternatives considered by the local leaders and administration include the diversification of activitiesand ecological tourism. It also argues that in a scenery of fierceful competition and constant change, theattributes of the planned urban space, despite its excludent character in social and spatial terms, are an assetthat differentiates Ouro Branco from other cities in similar position.

Trabalho apresentado no VI Encontro Nacional da ANPUR, Recife, maio de 1997