NEW URBAN FORMATS - THE CHALLENGE OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING IN THE EAST SOUTHEAST PART OF BELO HORIZONTE S PERIMETROPOLITAN AREA.

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1 1 5 t h I N T E R N A T I O N A L P L A N N I N G H I S T O R Y S O C I E T Y C O N F E R E N C E NEW URBAN FORMATS - THE CHALLENGE OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING IN THE EAST SOUTHEAST PART OF BELO HORIZONTE S PERIMETROPOLITAN AREA. ALFIO CONTI Address: Departamento de Arquitetura docurso de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Escola de Minas da UFOP contialfio@gmail.com ABSTRACT The scope of this work is to investigate the ability of city planning ahead the emergence of a new format that requires urban planning concerted actions at regional level among different municipalities. It is an ongoing process in a perimetropolitan region, specifically the east southeast of Belo Horizonte, which will be considered as an investigated case study. After a brief characterization of perimetropolitan area of Belo Horizonte and its regionalization it is investigated the structure of the eastern southeast urban perimetropolitan area of Belo Horizonte, the case study, pointing out how this is composed of urban areas at different stages of consolidation, polarizing unstructured regional areas, predominantly rural, having different dynamics which depend on the process of urban areas strengthening and the outside influences. It is also investigated the urban east-southeast of the region that is formed by medium-sized cities and urban clusters point to form a new urban reality composed by groups of city develop horizontal relationships of complementarity by working as one big city, with different and new conurbation processes with a peri-urban areas increasingly urbanized. Finally we investigated the new urban reality based on planning tools used in cities that are part of clusters, pointing out how there is still a large gap between existing processes at regional and local planning proposals, an urgent rescue regional planning in different scales. INTRODUCTION The perimetropolitan area of Belo Horizonte participates actively and of many ways to the consolidation of the Minas Gerais capital s polarization in the geographical space in the state and Southeastern Brazil. Its conformity was investigated by Conti in 2009, and the obtained image was that of a heterogeneous geographical space with the presence of sub-regional divisions having peculiar and distinct features, associated to the patterns of specific spatial organization in which the main role is played by the medium-sized cities. Three regions compose the perimetropolitan

2 C i t i e s, n a t i o n s a n d r e g i o n s i n p l a n n i n g h i s t o r y area and confirm the adaptiveness of the medium-sized cities to the geographical conditioning of various natures: - the north-northwest region that polarized by the city of Sete Lagoas, is composed by a simpler urban structure having a christallerian-type hierarchy; - the midwest region that polarized by the city of Divinópolis, presents an articulated, structured and complex urban system; - the east southeast region that, by not having a city that lopping as regional center presents itself composed by archipelagos of urban clusters of similar dimensions and functions, each of which polarizes its respective intraregional space. It was also verified how the perimetropolitan area does not involve the metropolitan region completely, since, some parts of the Metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte come in contact with regional spaces predominantly rural in which the urban structure is incipient and this is why largely, by the presence of major landforms that inhibit the urban development and the regional 1 relations. The scope of this work is to make further analysis of the east southeast 2 region. THE EAST SOUTHEAST REGION It s that that has a less homogeneous character, so that is dificult recognize it as an specific region, because it seems not to be structured by a single urban system, but by an archipelago of small dynamic urban systems and in growing. These small urban systems are polarized by urban clusters headed by medium-sized 3 cities. The signals of a possible integration among these smaller urban systems are incipient, being all of them, polarized by the metropolis. The integration becomes difficult due to two factors: the physical-geographical conformation of this regional space, in which is found landforms difficult to be overcome, and the radial conformation of the regional road network. CONTI (2009) points out how these clusters are composed by cities close to each other with a similar socioeconomic and demographic dimension, what apparently stimulates the development of the horizontal relationships. The existence of this kind of relationships is justified in the process of strengthening according to an internal dimension, with the urban cluster s strengthening itself, and a external one with the domination relationships strengthening in the regional space polarized by it. THE REGIONAL SUBDIVISION In order to identify and characterize thresholds of the sub-regions it was used the criterium adopted by Conti that defines the thresholds in physical-geographical and 1 These regions in Conti s work were defined as depressed region being them the North depressed region and the South-west depressed region. 2 The used demographic data are from 2010 Census, the socioeconomic those available by IBGE/Cities site. 3 It was used in this work as conceptual reference and methodology the Oswaldo Bueno Amorin Filho s works.

3 1 5 t h I N T E R N A T I O N A L P L A N N I N G H I S T O R Y S O C I E T Y C O N F E R E N C E geographical-functional which may be strong or weak 4. The sub-regions are well delimited: - the North sub-region is clipped by 262 road and it has in its west and south-west part a strong physical-geographical threshold composed by Espinhaço Mountain and by the Maciço do Caraça respectively. In its south and southeast part it has a weak geographical-functional-type threshold due to its contact with the central subregion and with a polarized region by the city of Ponte Nova. In the east part the threshold is a kind of strong physical-geographical due to the presence of Parque Estadual do Rio Doce RMBH. In the northeastern part the threshold comes to be a strong geographical-functional type due to be a contact area with the region polarized by Vale do Aço Metropolitan Region RMVA, and in the northern is a weak geographical-functional type due to be an area in contact with a region polarized by Guanhães; - the central sub-region is clipping by the 356 road and it has in west and south and east part, a strong physical-geographical threshold constituted by Espinhaço Mountain, by Ouro Branco Mountain and by the Parque Estadual do Itacolomi and, in the northwest and north part, a weak geographical-functional threshold due to the contact with the region polarized by Ponte Nova and north sub-region. - the south sub-region is clipping by the 040 road and it has in its west part a strong physical-geographical threshold constituted by the Espinhaço Mountain. In the south-west, south and east, it has a weak geographical-functional threshold constituted by the contact area with the polarization of the city of São João Del Rey, Barbacena and Viçosa respectively and, in the north part, a strong physicalgeographical threshold constituted by the Ouro Branco Mountain. THE URBAN CLUSTERS The urban clusters are, in general, composed by association of three or more centers geographically very close together and belonging to hierarchical levels of the medium-sized cities. Regarding it is plausible to hypothesize the existence of a relationship between geographical proximity and hierarchical proximity. Although medium-sized cities themselves 5 can be found, we have found cities of larger dimensions belonging to the medium-sized cities of superior order, but located in lower threshold of this hierarchical level. The cities of smaller dimensions that compose the urban clusters are emerging centers located, in general, in a superior level of this hierarchical level. The growth rates of those cities indicate a positive general trend 6, but at different speed. Cities with the highest rates are the emerging centers that, located-sine superior threshold of this hierarchical level are close to become medium-sized cities themselves. The medium-sized cities and the superior 4 The quality of weak and strong in relation to the physical or functional geographical threshold is assigned evaluating the inertia to the transformations and/or changes of thresholds, caseby-case using, in the last analysis, the data arising from the field research. 5 In this work are used the categories of urban hierarchy defined by Oswaldo Bueno Amorim Filho. 6 The data used for the analysis are extracted from IBGE and from 1990, 2000 Census 1990 and from the preliminary results of 2010 Census.

4 C i t i e s, n a t i o n s a n d r e g i o n s i n p l a n n i n g h i s t o r y level cities carry on keeping major growth rates contributing to the increasing in clusters population that reach an average of 200,000 inhabitants. Analyzing each cluster it will be possible to detail some specificities and differences that make it in a single space. Figure 1- Conti Alfio (2012). Economic basis, economic weight and population of the urban clusters. THE FIRST URBAN CLUSTER AND THE NORTH SUB-REGION. The first cluster polarizes the North sub-region and it is composed by cities of Itabira, João Monlevade, Nova Era and the small city of Bela Vista de Minas, which is in conurbation process with João Monlevade. The city of Itabira is a mediumsized city of superior level and leads the urban cluster having a significant growth rate of 1,14% per year. This first cluster makes a total of 234,503 inhabitants, being the highest among the three clusters of the east southeast region, and that that presents the most complex dynamism, probably due to the spatial joints in the polarized sub-region, that also sees the presence of a second urban cluster, smaller, but very dynamic, subordinate and polarized by this first one. Regarding to the main cluster we have found other cities that are part of it as: São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo and Rio Piracicaba, both close to João Monlevade and Nova Era. João Monlevade is the most dynamic urban center, consolidating itself as medium-sized city. It s the second center of the cluster, with a reinforced exchange relationship with the city of Itabira. The growth rate is significant and this urban center consolidates the southern portion of the cluster, both from the demographical viewpoint and economic one. Another ongoing process in this cluster is the impairment of the western portion due to the apparent economic crisis related to the local steel industry, faced by the city of Nova Era losing population and having a not significant economic viewpoint. Among the urban centers of this cluster it surprises the small city of São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo which has a high growth rate and a high regional economic burden, situation due to massive investments from Vale

5 1 5 t h I N T E R N A T I O N A L P L A N N I N G H I S T O R Y S O C I E T Y C O N F E R E N C E Mining Company with the opening of Brucutu mine. Regarding to the economic base of the municipalities that compose this cluster, three of them have industryoriented economy, while the municipalities of João Monlevade and Nova Era have a industry services-oriented economic base having at first the industry predominance and at second the services. The industry emerges as the major economic base of this cluster. Based on the categories of the functional hierarchy developed by CONTI (2009), one can state that the city of Itabira constitutes itself as associated regional center, as the regional polarization practiced by it is shared with the others urban hierarchical centers, belonging to the cluster, mainly as urban center of João Monlevade that plays a role of associated regional sub-center. The smaller centers take part as associated urban centers and this is also applied to Nova Era. Analyzing the cluster spatial structure it seems clear as it is constituted by two parts, a North part having the city of Itabira and the south part where we can find very close to each other both the city of São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo, João Monlevade, Bela Vista de Minas, Rio Piracicaba and Nova Era. The roads between the two centers are in a good state of repair and paved. Although there is an ongoing conurbation phenomenon between the municipalities of João Monlevade and Bela Vista de Minas, it does not seem that others urban centers are not developing this kind of processes or this becomes possible in short or long-term, as the conditions of the relief are hostile, though, the proximity does not prevent the closer horizontal relations without resulting in a process of impoverishment of the functional characteristics of the urban centers of smaller dimension. The second smaller urban cluster, in this sub-region is composed by the cities of Barão de Cocais, Santa Barbara and Catas Altas. It has a total population of 61,121 inhabitants and a total regional economic burden of 4,85%. It cannot be ignored, as it exerts an important polarization in the south-west portion of the north sub-region. The cities that lead this cluster are two urban realities having similar characteristics and they are emerging centers located at an intermediary level in the hierarchical level of the emerging centers. They have the highest growth rates of the east southeast region and have a similar demographical dimension. They are urban centers located so close between each other and this leads to believe that there is an ongoing conurbation process and this contributes to the reciprocal strengthening at regional scale. Catas Altas, a small city, is the third center that composes this cluster, but with a high growth rate. The economic base of the cluster is diversified, Barão de Cocais is a municipality whose economic base divides between the industry and services and is that that presents the highest regional economic burden, Santa Barbara is a municipality whose economic base is centralized in the services section, finally and surprisingly, Catas Altas is a municipality whose economic base is the industry and its economic burden is close to that of Santa Barbara that is, in terms of demographics, six times higher. The industry emerges as the major economic burden of this cluster. From the functional viewpoint the urban centers of Barão de Cocais and Santa Bárbara can be considered as centers of associated sub-regional articulation and the city of Catas Altas as associated urban center. The remaining municipalities that compose the north sub-region of the east southeast of the perimetropolitan area of Belo Horizonte is small cities, not much significant from the point of view populational and economic, but subjected to the processes that transform it into an important way. The first ongoing process involves the municipalities of small dimensions located in the eastern portion of the north subregion. All of them record negative growth rates in some case higher. The

6 C i t i e s, n a t i o n s a n d r e g i o n s i n p l a n n i n g h i s t o r y population loss points at an emptying of these municipalities that are located in a region of contact among the clusters of the north sub-region, the polarization of RMVA and the presence of Parque do Rio Doce. It s therefore necessary an analysis of the migratory flows to understand what are the reasons and, especially, where do people that leave these places go for. Taking into consideration the presence of Parque do Rio Doce as an important element of inertia to the growth of these urban centers and little contact with RMVA, with many obstacles largely, and taking also into consideration the high rates of growth of the clusters, we can raise the hypothesis that part of migratory population goes to the clusters of the west southwest region both those were analyzed by little and those located in the others sub-regions, but the solidity of this hypothesis should be experienced by the further investigations. A second ongoing process in north sub-region involves the urban centers or the eastern portion and they have positive growth rates. It s possible to give an impetus to the positive growth of these cities by the proximity with the RMBH since two of the three cities in question are part of it. The remaining portion, namely, the northern portion of the north sub-region, presents a dynamic that see the municipality of Ferros lose population with a high and constant rate of negative growth, over the last two decades, while the municipality of Santa Maria de Itabira, near to Itabira, could reverse this process. At the end of the analysis of this subregion, it s necessary to point that 47,36% of the population of the east southeast region live in it, it has a regional economic burden of 42,60% and the index of economic strength is 0,90 7. Figure 2- Conti Alfio (2012). Urban hierarchy,functional hierarchy and processes. 7 The index of economic strength is obtained by the ratio between the economic burden and the population.

7 1 5 t h I N T E R N A T I O N A L P L A N N I N G H I S T O R Y S O C I E T Y C O N F E R E N C E THE SECOND CLUSTER AND THE CENTRAL SUB-REGION. It s that that polarizes the central sub-region that corresponds to the microregion of Ouro Preto and it s composed by urban centers of the cities of Ouro Preto, Mariana and Itabirito. This cluster is constituted by the two medium-sized cities of Ouro Preto and Mariana, the first belonging to this category much time than Mariana which has just incorporated to this hierarchical level. Finally the cluster is composed by the emerging center of Itabirito, which is in the superior threshold of this hierarchical level having high rates of demographical growth. The most important part of this cluster corresponds to its core that is composed by the cities of Ouro Preto and Mariana which are in conurbation process. Both the cities have positive growth rates. The participation to the economy of the east southwest region of these two centers is considerably reaching a total of 27,30%. From the demographic viewpoint the two cities reach together a population of 124,406 inhabitants which corresponds to a medium-sized city of superior level. This cluster becomes more interesting when it is analyzed the role of the city of Itabirito, because of the three is the most dynamic center. Its regional economic burden is 5,94% what makes that the cluster reach a total regional economic burden of 33,24%. This is significant in terms of achievement because only the cluster of the north sub-region reaches a total value slightly higher, but as the sum of contribution of a number of urban centers that is twice. Analyzing the index of economic strength it seems that the central sub-region reaches a significant index of 1.54 the highest among the three urban clusters. By an analysis of the intraregional space that separates Itabirito from Ouro Preto shows us the existence of a process of diffusion of the urban functions in the rural space due to the new organized residential-type occupations, and low density and occupied by groups of middle and upper income. These new urbanizations have an important support in some local factors as the relief s characteristics which between this district of Cachoeira do Campo, belonging to Ouro Preto, and the city of Itabirito, is slightly undulating, the road structure that is well articulated and, the presence of an important number of districts, of which with services and trade allocation can support a demand greater than the population that live in it. In this space we can point a particular kind of ongoing conurbation process characterized by a low residential density. By analyzing the economic base of the urban centers that compose this cluster we can find that all of them have the same economic base, with significant values, in the industry. So, the industry emerges as the main economic base of this cluster. If on one hand these values represent a visible reality to the naked eye among who lives and moves on this sub-region, because it realizes every day the presence of mining and steel companies, in both landscape transformation and in the presence of freight trucks crowding the highways that cross this sub-region, on the other hand this also demonstrates how the tourism sector, especially to the historic cities of Ouro Preto and Mariana is an economic activity that can be considered, to some extent, marginal in wealth generation for the cities. It s necessary to ask when the mining sector will contribute to the economy of these cities and how much it will be necessary to expand and improve the tourism sector to use, permanently, the architectural, urban heritage and the natural resources still present in this sub-region. But it s important to mention that the economic base of the cluster does not affect its polarization capacity and does not put in doubt the hierarchical level on which the cities belong, since each one has the necessary equipments and functions to play this role in the intra-urban and regional scale. From the functional hierarchy viewpoint Ouro Preto plays, inside the

8 C i t i e s, n a t i o n s a n d r e g i o n s i n p l a n n i n g h i s t o r y cluster, the most important role and therefore it is considered as an associated regional center while Mariana and Itabirito play the role of associated regional subcenters. The central sub-region has a number of smaller municipalities in a total of four, the difference of 18 of the north sub-region and 12 of south sub-region. In terms of spatial dimensions the central sub-region seems to have almost the same dimensions of the south sub-region because of the great territorial dimensions of the municipalities of Ouro Preto, Mariana and Itabirito. The fourth urban center of this sub-region, Diogo de Vasconcelos, has small dimensions. Isolated, on the BR262 road, it suffers a constant loss of population having a negative growth rate. In the central sub-region the occurring dynamics, the difference from the others sub-regions, happen in the intermunicipal space. Another intermunicipal space that awakens interest is that crossed by MG030 state road in the stretch that runs between Itabirito and Ouro Branco municipalities, passing inside Ouro Preto municipal territory. Figure 3- Conti Alfio (2012). Urban-Regional process, urban and functional hierarchy. This space has a structure similar to that seen to the other intermunicipal space and it has an important articulation road and the presence of several districts, however, the difference from the first, the road condition is precarious, because the major road, MG030, is not paving, and the districts in question have smaller dimensions. The interest in this space is to become an integration vector between the urban cluster of the central sub-region and that of the south sub-region, but the present conditions show this scenario as something remote, but that could become possible with road improvements in the MG030 road. THE THIRD URBAN CLUSTER AND THE SOUTH SUB-REGION. The third urban cluster polarizes the south sub-region of the west southwest region, and it is composed by three cities. Conselheiro Lafaiete is the center of greater

9 1 5 t h I N T E R N A T I O N A L P L A N N I N G H I S T O R Y S O C I E T Y C O N F E R E N C E dimensions and belongs to the category of medium-sized city of superior level, Congonhas is in the superior threshold of the hierarchical level of emerging center, and finally the city of Ouro Preto that is also, an emerging center that occupies the intermediate level of this category. The cluster has a total of 200,337 inhabitants and the growth rate of their cities is positive and high, but if the high rates do not surprise to the emerging centers, in case of a pattern found in all other urban clusters, the surprising is the high growth rate of Conselheiro Lafaiete, to be a medium city of superior level. It s plausible to think that the factor that contributes to maintain high the growth rate of this urban center (the same for the emerging center of Congonhas), is its localization on BR404 road. The growth rates point to the imminent entry, both Congonhas as for Ouro Branco, in the category of mediumsized cities. By analyzing the regional economic burden of the urban centers of the cluster, Ouro Branco emerges in a total of 12,89%, due to largely, the presence of the plant of a Açominas Gerdau a big steel factory located inside the municipal territory of Ouro Branco, while Congonhas and Conselheiro Lafaiete have an economic burden lower and similar. The cluster results in a regional economic burden of 22,16%, that is the lowest economic burden among the three urban clusters analyzed. The same can be said to the regional economic burden of the south sub-region (24,06%), as the economic strength index (0,78). The economic base of the cluster is diversified, because each city has a different economic base and this, compared to the growth rates, is a positive factor to the development and future growth of the cluster. The prevailing economic sector in Ouro Branco is the industry, in Congonhas the economic base is divided between the services sector and the industry sector and in Conselheiro Lafaiete the prevailing economic sector is the services. Unlike the others clusters the main economic base of this is the sector of services. From the viewpoint of the functional hierarchy the main urban center, Conselheiro Lafaiete is the associated regional center in partnership with the other two centers that are associated regional sub-centers. By analyzing this cluster and the ongoing dynamics, it is necessary to mention that the spatial conformation of the three urban centers, each one of which is placed at the vertices of a triangle whose sides are composed by roads and whose center is occupied by the plant of Gerdau Açominas, favors the increase of the flows and the relationships horizontaltype among them. Moreover the presence of new urbanizations along the highways that join them points to the possibility, in a short time, that develops a conurbation process. Among the new urbanizations it excels that that developed in the junction of the BR040 and the BR383 roads, although this kind of urbanizations can also be found along MG030 road between the junction with BR040 road and the city of Ouro Branco and along MG129 road between the city of Conselheiro Lafaiete and Ouro Branco. The remaining of the south sub-region is composed by municipalities of small dimensions having interesting ongoing processes. The first involves the municipalities located in the southeastern portion, and this is a zone of contact with the polarization of the city of Barbacena. Only one of the four has positive growth rates, while the others have negative one. The same considerations done for the small municipalities with negative rates present in the north sub-region in the western portion are applied for this case, and requiring further investigation to understand the reason of the population loss. The second process is related to the municipalities that are in southwestern portion of the sub-region, because they are located in a contact zone with polarization of the city of São João Del Rey. The growth rates are positive indicating a tendency of growing to this part of south sub-

10 C i t i e s, n a t i o n s a n d r e g i o n s i n p l a n n i n g h i s t o r y region due to, largely its proximity of the urban cluster of Conselheiro Lafaiete, Congonhas and Ouro Branco, than by the influence of São João Del Rey. CONCLUSION This work allowed confirming that east southeast region is composed by clusters that polarize sub-regional spaces, but there are long-term evidences of probable changes, of this structure with the possible integration between the central subregion and south sub-region and the possibility of the divisions intensification with the creation of new cluster of lower dimensions, although this apparently to remain limited to the north sub-region. It was verified the presence of a process of diffusion increasingly present of the urban functions in the intermunicipal space with new urbanizations being discovered in those intermunicipal spaces that present a territorial infrastructure more articulated and favorable geographical determinants. Figure 3- Conti Alfio (2012). East-southeast region s urban system. The new urbanizations compete to the diffusion of the urban functions in the space, until then rural and to support and enable through new formats the conurbation processes. The conurbation processes in the urban clusters are not exception, but almost a constant. The urban clusters formation and strengthening increase the pressure become strengthened the processes and the dynamics that involve the small cities, whether of consolidation or emptying of the regional urban structures, because they do it in counterpoint to the neighboring exogenous polarizations. Overall the processes point to the clusters strengthening as a way of protection of the exogenous polarizations to the east southeast region. The challenge of the cities that composed the urban clusters is develop instruments for local and regional planning for non-existent now, incorporating to the regional issues, taking into consideration the ongoing processes, seeking to whom that transcend the municipal administrative thresholds, creating a consortium among the involved municipalities to predict and control the urban expansion areas, set and control the

11 1 5 t h I N T E R N A T I O N A L P L A N N I N G H I S T O R Y S O C I E T Y C O N F E R E N C E development of the areas of new occupations, set a system of road infrastructures that support a decentralization process to reduce the real estate pressure and set a process of administrative and functional decentralization strengthening the subregional network of the districts. As mentioned it presupposes the combat of the shortsighted of the planning enclosed among the municipal territorial-administrative thresholds. The planning should be focused on a regional scale under penalty of cities be taxable of the ongoing processes, largely of which, if conducted in physiological manner by the real estate capital can result in the competitiveness and in the re-proposition of the endemic features of the Brazilian urbanization process lined in the spatial and socioeconomic exclusion pattern with the deflagration of socio-environmental problems. REFERENCES AMORIM FILHO, O. B. A morfologia das cidades médias. Goiânia: Vieira, AMORIM FILHO, O. B. Cidades médias e a organização do espaço no Brasil. Revista Geografia e Ensino, Belo Horizonte, v. 2, n. 5, p. 5-34, AMORIM FILHO, O. B. Um esquema metodológico para o estudo das cidades médias. In: ENCONTRO NACIONAL DE GEÓGRAFOS, 2., 1976, Belo Horizonte. Anais... Belo Horizonte: IGC/UFMG, 1976, p AMORIM FILHO, O. B.; ABREU, J. F. Ciudades intermédias y tecnópoles potenciales em Minas Gerais - Brasil. Tiempo y Espacio, Chillán, Universidad del Bío-Bío, v. 8, n. 9-10, p , AMORIM FILHO, O. B.; ARRUDA, M. A. Os Sistemas Urbanos. In: BDMG Minas Gerais do Século XXI: reinterpretando o espaço mineiro. Belo Horizonte: BDMG, AMORIM FILHO, O. B.; RIGOTTI, J. I. R. Os limiares demográficos na caracterização das cidades médias. ENCONTRO DA SOCIEDADE BRASILEIRA DE ESTUDOS POPULACIONAIS. 13. Anais... Ouro Preto, 2002, p Meio digital. AMORIM FILHO, O. B.; RIGOTTI, J. I. R.; CAMPOS, J. Os níveis hierárquicos das cidades médias de Minas Gerais. Belo Horizonte: Programa de Pós-graduação em Geografia - Tratamento da Informação Espacial, PUC Minas, (Impresso). AMORIM FILHO, O. B.; SERRA, R. V. Evolução e perspectivas do papel das cidades médias no planejamento urbano regional. In: ANDRADE, T. A.; SERRA, R. V. (Org.). Cidades Médias Brasileiras. Rio de Janeiro: IPEA, BAUER, G.; ROUX, J. M. La rururbanisation ou la ville éparpillée. Paris: Seuil, BEAUJEU-GARNIER, J. Les espaces périurbains. Cahiers du Crepifs, Centre de Recherche et d`etudes sur Paris et l Ile de France, n. 3, BRUNET, R. Les phénomènes de discontinuité em gèographie. DRESCH, J. (Org.). Mémoires et documents: Centre de Recherchers et documentation cartographiques et géographiques. Paris: Editions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1970.

12 C i t i e s, n a t i o n s a n d r e g i o n s i n p l a n n i n g h i s t o r y CONTI, A. A zona perimetropolitana de Belo Horizonte - Uma análise exploratória, Belo Horizonte, tese de doutorado, TIE/PUCMINAS, 2009.