Sprawl and control: the territorial planning system in Brazilian Metropolitan Areas of major population growth (2000 - 2022)

• Grant number: 24/09597-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Urban and Regional Planning
• Principal Investigator: Sidney Piochi Bernardini
• Grantee: Luiza Gusson Baiochi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FEC). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Urban sprawl has been extensively studied in terms of its characteristics, environmental impacts, and relationship with social inequality. Although considered a contradiction within the framework of rationalized territorial planning, few studies analyze the contribution of urban-territorial planning and its regulatory mechanisms to the control of urban sprawl. The general objective of this research is to identify the correlation between territorial planning systems and urban sprawl in municipalities within Brazilian Metropolitan Areas with the highest population growth in two consecutive time intervals: between 2000 and 2010 and between 2010 and 2022. The method adopted will be predominantly exploratory and quantitative, based on a correlational design and inferential statistical analysis to identify the degree of correlation between territorial planning systems and urban sprawl. To measure urban sprawl in each period, the research will use the method established by Tian et al. (2017), employing a multidimensional index that combines three dimensions: urban expansion, compactness, and urban form, based on the collection of institutional secondary data. To analyze the territorial planning systems, the research will involve the collection, organization, and systematization of planning instruments, forming a framework of institutional regulation. This research aims to provide inputs to advance the field of planning and management mechanisms, especially in territorial planning related to the control of urban sprawl and environmental protection. It also aims to establish future protocols to be applied by public authorities across various governmental levels.