Motorway-urban interfaces in the process of production of cities: case study of the João Pessoa ring road, PB, Brazil

Motorways play an important role in the development of the structure of cities, as they facilitate long distance journeys. However, when absorbed into the urban fabric, motorways develop particular dynamics with the intra-urban space where they are inserted, changing accessibility, morphology and the use and occupation of urban land. The aim of this paper is to analyse the dynamics between the implementation of the BR-230 motorway ring road and the process of urban space production in the city of João Pessoa-PB, Brazil, between 1963 and 2013, in terms of morphology and the use and occupation of urban land. The method employed was the Evolutionary Logic of the Urban Fabric, which divides urban evolution into three stages: overcoming limits, growth and combination/conflicts. This method was used in association with analytical tools, such as the Space Syntax software and the Geographic Information System. The results showed that the motorway boosted urban sprawl towards the southern sector of the city and produced a sprawling urban area. The study also identified a horizontal and fragmented growth pattern, changes in accessibility, land use and socio-spatial segregation.

Ring road; Urban Sprawl; Urban morphology; Land use.