The Unloving Grandmother & Other Regional Tales by eleni.gklinou

THE UNLOVING GRANDMOTHER

& other regional tales A framing of the Mid-ParaĂba Valley

Hannah Beall | Nicki Gitlin |Eleni Gklinou | Grace Salisbury Mills

READING THE REGION This publication is a concise summary of many months of research: originally conducted on site in Brazil, and then subsequently back at Columbia GSAPP, in New York. It is intended as a means to ‘frame’ our project region, the MidParaíba Valley, in terms of what we see as its most defining challenges and opportunities. This framing is what has informed both the objectives and scope of our project, as well as the design itself. Firstly, we understand the region in its current state to be defined by three intractable and overlapping issues, described herein as: 1)political divisions; 2)post-industrial paralysis and 3)environmental devastation (a wider problem in which our region is seriously implicated). Secondly, we observe two related spatial opportunities that are uniquely characteristic of the region and its history: a ‘linear network’ of infrastructure and an associated collection of recurring spatial conditions. Ultimately, we think of this publication not only as a means to document our work, but also as a resource that may be useful in contributing to a new way of understanding and designing for the Mid-Paraíba Valley: one that may, over time, contribute to the region’s ongoing transformation. 5

A VERY BRIEF CONTEXT 3 X CHALLENGES 01_Political Divisions 02_Post Industrial Paralysis [and the unloving grandmother] 03_A Devastated Region

2 X OPPORTUNITIES 01_A Region of Voids 02_A Linear Network

A REGIONAL TOOLKIT

A VERY BRIEF CONTEXT

A region dotted with urban centers... Brazil’s Mid-Paraíba is a city-region located along the Paraíba do Sul river, a water source for 14 million Brazilians. The region consists of multiple urban centers, connected by their common infrastructure and prosperous industrial past. Today, however, the region’s trajectory and cohesion are challenged by an array of political, environmental, and economic complexities. 10

A VERY BRIEF CONTEXT

....slung between two megacities To understand the Mid-Paraíba is to understand its critical position between two of South America’s most significant metropolises: themselves often discussed as an emerging megalopolis. The Mid-Paraíba’s transforming identity is inevitably shaped by the mega-identities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, but is equally in danger of being engulfed by them. How does the region distinguish itself? 11

A VERY BRIEF CONTEXT

3 X CHALLENGES

01:

POLITICAL DIVISIONS

Political boundaries Dispersed urbanization

CHALLENGES 01 POLITICAL DIVISIONS

A politically fractured region The intricate web of political boundaries dividing the Mid-ParaĂba region poses economic and environmental challenges, while hindering regional collaboration. Neighboring cities are forced to compete for investment, creating isolated economic growth rather than a robust regional economy. As new industries arrive, this competition has driven a pattern of dispersed urbanization (including the formation of the new territory of Porto Real in 1995), rather than the consolidation of existing centers. In addition, these divides disincentivize collaboration over regional challenges (such as environmental devastation) and goals (such as economic diversification). 19

CHALLENGES 01 POLITICAL DIVISIONS

Absurd proximities: the city of Barra Mansa meets the city of Volta Redonda

CHALLENGES 01 POLITICAL DIVISIONS

Yet, inevitably connected Despite political divides and a lack of common infrastructure, the foundations of a connected region continue to exist. Tens of thousands commute between the Mid-Paraíba urban centers every day, for example (albeit, by car!). Enabling a greater degree of collaboration—through shared infrastructure, economic investments and a cohesive social fabric — will contribute to a more connected, robust region. 23

02:

POST INDUSTRIAL PARALYSIS [and the unloving grandmother]

Unprecedented state-led urbanism The Mid-Paraíba Valley came into its current existence as part of an unprecedented government investment in industrial urbanism. Under a heavy-handed political regime, land once used for coffee plantations was rapidly transformed into a prosperous industrial landscape, punctuated by residential communities whose existence was almost entirely based on the industry itself. At the epicenter of this growth was the CSN steel plant in Volta Redonda, which would soon become one of the most significant industrial operations in South America. CSN exploited the numerous advantages of the region: the Paraíba river (a vital resource for the plant’s operations), the strategic location between the nation’s major cities; multi-modal connections for the export/import of materials and products; and flat, uninterrupted land that was optimum for large-scale industry. It was such that CSN quickly became the center around which the industrial growth of the region flourished. The valley quickly became an industrial powerhouse revolving around economies of extraction, with immediate spatial and cultural implications, for years to come.