EXPANSÃO URBANA E ORGANIZAÇÃO SOCIOESPACIAL EM CIDADES MÉDIAS: A SITUAÇÃO DE POUSO ALEGRE (MG).

The medium cities had increasing significance in the interrelations economic and demographic process in Brazil. Given this situation, localities like Pouso Alegre (MG), field of study of this research, interacting economic, sociocultural and demographic coexist in their territory, favoring thus new sociospatial dynamics. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the historical process of population growth and urban expansion in Pouso Alegre, emphasizing the industry termed as "Região Sul", where different discourses and practices favor the diversity of land use in spatial context. To meet the proposed objectives were used in an integrated manner, the methodological procedures such as survey and demographic data analysis, map production and use of images from different times, allowing thus to understand the urban expansion of Pouso Alegre and the "Região Sul"; concomitant to this, were conducted fieldwork and analysis of newspapers and the municipal master plan, allowing illustrate the characteristics and contradictions of discourses and practices that exist in the city and particularly in the "Região Sul". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]