Urban form and sociability: transformations in public space in cities of Western Santa Catarina

Abstract

Public space, as a locus of sociability, is widely studied in large cities. This article investigates the relationship between urban form and social life in medium and small-sized inland municipalities of recent foundation (1917) in Santa Catarina: Chapecó and Joaçaba. Although they share a common origin, they present distinct urban dynamics and forms. The research adopts a morphological and processual approach to analyze transformations in the form and use of public spaces during colonization and contemporaneity. The urban layout, land use, local configurations, and the appropriation of spaces (presence, user diversity, and temporality) are evaluated. The results indicate divergences in growth, configuration, and appropriation processes: Chapecó exhibits a rational logic, orthogonal layout, broad scales, and distributed uses; Joaçaba presents a sinuous grid adapted to the topography, with concentrated and intense social appropriations.

Keywords: urban morphology; spatial appropriation; Chapecó; Joaçaba.