The fringe-belt concept and planned new towns: a Brazilian case study

Abstract

There is a degree of consensus about the theoretical foundations underpinning the fringe-belt concept, but relevant empirical research carried out in different cultural contexts still raises important questions. In this paper the methodology of the British urban morphology school is applied in a planned new town in Brazil in order to draw comparisons. The identification of fringe belts in Maringá city confirms the validity of the methodology. The planned city configuration may be compared to the formation of ancient walled cities, attesting the strength of fixation lines in the creation of inner fringe belts. Middle and outer fringe belts are more fragmented. This difference is partly related to the fact that the time-span over which these fringe belts have been formed is very short.