The urban expansion forms and the director plan – the case of Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil between 1980 and 2000

Abstract

The urban expansion is a process related with population growth, considering that more the population increases, more space is needed to accommodate it. Despite that, the result of this process is reflected at the urban tissue at territorial dimension, in other words, it physically increases the tissue of the city. Because of that, at this paper, this process will be nominated urban territorial growth. The urban territorial growth process can be happened by three different forms: (i) by urban perimeter extension, (ii) by land subdivision and (iii) by built stain extension. The first and second forms are extensive processes, namely the principal characteristic is the extension of urban land use and occupation, nominated here extensive urban territorial growth. On the other hand, the third form is an intensive process, which intensifies the urban land use and occupation, nominated here intensive urban territorial growth.