Brasília and its rural units: plans and projects for the territory of the Federal District between the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s

ABSTRACT Criticism on the new capital city of Brazil inaugurated in 1960 focused on the Pilot Plan drawn up by Lucio Costa, but it also highlighted an alleged absence of plans to integrate that original nucleus into the territory where it was built. Based on unprecedented documentation comprising plans and projects to organize the supply system and industry in Brasilia between the late 1950s and early 1960s, this paper demonstrates, however, that there was significant effort towards regional planning of the Nation´s Federal District at that time. The analysis also shows that the elaboration of those plans was due to continuous concern with food supply of the capital city expressed since the end of the 19th century and points out its relations with current ideas and experiences in the field of urban and regional planning in the mid-20th century.