Urban interventions, usage and occupation of spaces in the central region of Belo Horizonte

Abstract

Despite its youth (founded 1897) Belo Horizonte has witnessed a “relative” process of emptying the historic center with the demolition of some buildings, the displacement of middle-class to other regions, the reduction of areas of public space for coexistence and the presence of the elite in this region. Like in several cities, this process has mobilized the public and the private sector in the development of urban regeneration projects in their centers. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how these projects are being implemented by the government, as well as how the region has been appropriated by these actors. Our hypothesis is that the processes of urban regeneration in Belo Horizonte are not a gentrification, which would mean interventions directed only to the market, to entertainment and cultural consumption.