150 Years of Urban Evolution (1800-1950) and Portuguese Influences in Teresina

This scientific article aims to present the process of urban evolution of Teresina - Piauí, Brazil from 1800 to 1950 and discuss the influences of 18th century Portuguese urban planning on the city's urban design. The study showed how the creation of new cities during the colonial period in Brazil influenced urban planning in Teresina, the first planned capital of the imperial period. Although influenced by Portuguese norms, urban planning in colonial Brazil was adapted to local conditions and city formation needs. The analysis reveals that Teresina, despite being a city founded in the imperial period (1852), shows clear influence of Portuguese urban principles developed in the 18th century, particularly those associated with the reconstruction of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake. The regularity of the orthogonal grid layout, the centrality of the main squares, the hierarchization of road axes, and the strategic arrangement of institutional buildings constitute elements that demonstrate this influence. Yet Teresina's plan does not represent a simple transposition of the Portuguese model, but its creative adaptation to the specific conditions of the site and the functional and symbolic needs of a Brazilian provincial capital. The choice of location for implementation, the relationship of the layout with the rivers, the generous dimensions of the blocks, and the importance attributed to commercial spaces reflect this adaptation. The effectiveness of these urban principles, applied a century after their formulation in Portugal, confirms their versatility and adaptability to different contexts, and their legacy persists in Teresina's current morphology.