URBAN FORMS AND MORPHOLOGY OF MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES

A STUDY OF THE INTRA-URBAN SPACE OF POÇOS DE CALDAS, MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the studies of urban forms – urban morphology – based on authors in Geography. To do so, two parts of results are presented. The first part of the results presents how (urban) form and morphology are conceived from the perspective of Urban Geography. Furthermore, two methodological proposals for the analysis of intra-urban forms are presented: the “morphological-functional zoning” by Amorim Filho (2005) and the “procedures and elements of the investigation of urban forms” by Whitacker and Miyazaki (2012). The second part of the results refers to the study of the intra-urban space of Poços de Caldas, a medium-sized city located in the south of the State of Minas Gerais. Through the study of Poços de Caldas, the juxtaposition of different urban forms was apprehended, which is expressed in the heterogeneity of the occupied areas. There is a multiplicity of urban landscapes in the local spatial structure, each one presenting its functions, contents and socio-spatial processes.