The economic and spatial restructuring and development process in the North Sector of the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

This aim of this study is to evaluate the economic and spatial restructuring process implemented by the public authorities in the North Sector of the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, and the appropriation of space by the land and real estate markets in the north and periphery of the capital, seeking to identify the elements that have contributed to altering the land order and to the elitization of spaces. The metropolitan strategic plan sought to diversify the industrial base of the region by attracting investments and creating high-tech hubs. In order to ensure its greater competitiveness on the global stage, it was accompanied by large public infrastructure works and support services. The present study has concluded that the modifying actions undertaken by the public authorities have influenced the valorization of urban land, the appropriation of the space by the land/real estate markets and the elitization of the north and peripheral region of the capital, thus supporting the thesis of the city as an urban growth machine.