COMPACIDADE E DISPERSÃO URBANA A PARTIR DAS ESTRUTURAS REGIONAIS

This article demonstrates the relationship between the regional structures and the urban form through a comparative study between the urban areas of Londrina and Maringa, northern Parana, Brazil. The support for this study is a decennial timeline. The model of expansion and organization of the territory formed by both cities is evidenced through two variables: (a) compact form and (b) fragmented form of the urban area. Another variable, (c) dispersed form, applies only to Londrina. The final considerations of this article are compounded by similarities and disparities coming from the comparison between urban areas. In this case, three points are highlighted: the first concerns to how fragmented and dispersed the shape of one urban area is towards the other; the second point refers to the cycle of urban expansion, which varies from the compact form to the fragmented one, and, specifically for Londrina, the dispersed form must be included; and the third and most important point evaluates how regional structures, both anthropic and natural, corroborate the urban form. Keywords: Urban form, model of urban expansion, Londrina, Maringa.