The railway as a guiding axis

This research seeks to analyse the spatial transformations resulting from the implementation of the railway line from Santa Maria da Boca do Monte (RS) to Itarar (SP), focusing on the municipality of Esta o/RS located in the Alto Uruguai region. The need to record the various events that contributed to the formation of the geographical space of the municipality of Esta o/RS, as well as its spatial reorganisation, became the focus of this research. The municipality under study, whose urban territorial formation took place along the railway line, but with spatial transformations resulting from each era, is currently undergoing a new spatial reorganisation. As a methodology for assessing this research, we considered the categories of spatial analysis proposed by Milton Santos (Function, Form, Structure and Process), emphasising spatial roughness, as well as the decentralisation present in this geographical space, due to the presence of motorways as a new network and flows; thus serving as an attraction for industries, commerce, goods, and people.