ABSTRACT
On September 18, 1946 the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies voted to move the nation’s capital from Rio de Janiero to state-owned land in the interior of Brazil. The decision was a bold act designed to open up the center of the country to development. The aerial photographic and interpretation
company of Cornell University Professor Donald Belcher recommended a site based on its topography, soil qualities, rainfall, and winds. It has porous soil, summer rainfall, and is located at an altitude of a little over 1,000 meters. In 1956 the Brazilian Congress authorized the formation of a
Brasília. (a) The Pilot Plan with satellite townships in 1967; (b) the capitol complex seen from the Praça dos Três Poderes; (c) the monumental axis lined by administration buildings; (d) the generic plan of a residential superquadra; (e) ground level view in 2012. Source: (a) Evenson (1973); (c) Yale University Press; (d) collection of the author
(a) (c)
(d) (e)
(b)
100 percent government-owned company NOVACAP (Nova Capital) to proceed with the development of Brasília.
