O Brasil nasceu urbano

This section describes how Portugal and Spain had two distinct models for building urban centers in the New World: the 'real city' influenced by Arab and medieval styles, and the 'ideal city' inspired by Roman and Renaissance thinking. Ultimately, they chose the Renaissance model for their cities in the Americas, opting not to recreate the irregular designs of the Iberian Peninsula. The plan was to create regular, geometric cities that could be quickly settled to avoid early demise.

Cities in the Americas were founded as political decisions rather than emerging from natural trade routes or geographical necessities. The invaders, who were few in number, aimed to impose their structured, rational, and organized urban planning to assert dominance, as exemplified by the city of Salvador in Bahia. Designed by Miguel de Arruda in Portugal, Salvador was initially geometric and symmetrical, though it eventually grew organically. Early Brazilian cities transitioned from the Renaissance ideal to a more organic structure resembling older Portuguese cities.

The initial colonization aimed to extend Portuguese culture and institutions, making early Brazilian cities essentially Portuguese. The Portuguese urban planning was regulated rather than strictly geometrical or organic. It mandated structure through features like primary streets and differentiated public squares. The planned donations of land for institutions like convents guided city expansion. While often perceived as unorganized compared to Spanish America, Portuguese America demonstrated a sophisticated blend of regulated planning and organic growth.