Interventions in urban centers: questions about chromatic (dis)integration

Abstract

This work aims to launch a critical perspective on the intervention actions undertaken lately in the historic center of the city of Uberaba – a medium size city in the countryside of the state Minas Gerais, Brazil. The central region of the city is made up of a set of buildings from the eclectic period that share space with modern buildings around the city's main square – Rui Barbosa Square. This square underwent several changes over time, highlighting the weaknesses in the construction of a heritage landscape in this territory, which supports collective memory. That said, we are interested in the contemporary transformations carried out in this region, which are related to both the market logic and the regulations regarding the clearing up the facades of historic buildings, such as the removal of advertising boards from stores. These reforms introduced new colors to the region, raising questions about the criteria (or lack thereof) for chromatic definition. The appeal to the use of strong colors without surveys or appropriate restoration techniques generates noise in the urban landscape. In this sense, we can ask ourselves if the advance in the promotion of heritage built by the public authorities can result in a tendency to trivialize the urban set. Specifically in this text, we will focus on the analysis of trivialization processes in urban sets of historical interest from the chromatic aspect, using comparative analyses, with structure analysis keys for the development of an initial critique of the cultural heritage in Uberaba.