Abstract
Abstract Historical research of public spaces provides a better understanding of the social formation and preserve cultural and landscaping heritage. José Bonifácio Square, located in Picacicaba, São Paulo State, Brazil, is an important public space. We carried out a historical survey in the archives of municipal public institutions and a landscape record was done by identifying tree species implanted in the square. We verified a strong church influence in the development of the square landscape project. The first landscaping work occurred in 1885, and it became known as City Public Garden. It presented naturalistic features, using exotic and native species, mainly trees, for landscaping composition. Several modifications and reforms were made from 1885 to 2005. José Bonifácio Square was considered highly diverse (H’ = 3.18) with 151 individuals, distributed in 36 species belonging to 14 botanical families. The native species from Atlantic Forest represented 82.6% of Bignoniaceae, Arecaceae, and Fabaceae species. The high diversity of native species found in José Bonifácio Square allowed us to infer a lower ecological fragility and a higher environmental balance than other Brazilian squares. The analysis of historical information from the years 1885 to 2019 and the analysis of the square’s floristic composition in contemporary times demonstrated José Bonifácio Square’s relevance in forming and conserving Piracicaba’s urban identity.
Highlights
Throughout the history of public squares, Greeks, Romans, pre-Hispanics, or modern civilizations created and recreated public spaces far beyond the original purpose for which those spaces were structured
José Bonifácio Square has developed as a huge relevancy space due to a long historical process resulting in a cultural landmark
In the Brazilian colonial period, villages› urban morphology was based on chapels and public spaces
Summary
Throughout the history of public squares, Greeks, Romans, pre-Hispanics, or modern civilizations created and recreated public spaces far beyond the original purpose for which those spaces were structured. In Greek culture, the first signs of a public square are characterized by three main functions: religious, political, and economical. Due to Brazilian historical and cultural aspects resulting from the predominantly Catholic colonization, it is common to associate a city center with the main square and a church. Squares’ history is directly linked to landscaping historical evolution and customs of a period in which they were created and/or modified. Historic squares were primarily known as public gardens. It corresponded to the current public spaces known as squares. The historic gardens contribute to the peoples’ memory and identity, and are considered cultural heritage and living monuments. The importance of its preservation (Juste and Paiva, 2015)
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