Um horizonte sem limites? Estudos sobre a expansão urbana e o Plano Diretor de Campina Grande (PB).

Abstract

Recent studies show that population growth is increasingly concentrated in the expansion areas of municipalities. As a result, urban growth and sprawl have become pressing challenges in contemporary cities. Municipal Master Plans serve as key instruments for urban planning and regulation, shaping the urban form through the objectives, strategies, and guidelines they establish. However, this process is marked by conflicting interests among the different agents involved in the production of urban space. Their practices and strategies are constantly reshaped by the tension between fulfilling the social function of land and the pursuit of capital accumulation. In this context, profit-driven developments—often presented as innovative solutions through marketing strategies—are frequently promoted, even when they are disconnected from the urban fabric or located on the urban fringe. Urban expansion, when associated with dispersed or fragmented patterns, produces a range of negative impacts on urban life. Moving in the opposite direction of sustainability, it generates long commuting distances, insufficient or low-quality public transport, and greater reliance on private vehicles. Moreover, urban deconcentration substantially raises the costs of infrastructure, public facilities, and services, placing a significant financial burden on local governments. Against this backdrop, this study seeks to examine: how has the municipality of Campina Grande managed the ongoing pressures of urban expansion and the enlargement of its urban perimeter? How was citizen participation reflected in the revision of the Master Plan? Were effective strategies adopted to regulate urban expansion and address its related challenges in the updated Master Plan? Analysis of official documents from the participatory process and the current Master Plan reveals that, while many proposals were acknowledged and integrated, important challenges remain. Paradoxically, the municipality has expanded its urban perimeter in directions explicitly discouraged by planning guidelines. To address or mitigate these issues, further regulatory measures are still required, particularly through the development of specific laws envisioned by the current Master Plan, in order to more effectively confront the impacts of urban expansion.