Uma cidade, dois municípios: a dinâmica urbana entre flor da Serra do Sul/PR e o distrito Rene Damo – Palma Sola/SC

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the territorial formation, urban expansion, and spatial dynamics existing between the urban center of the municipality of Flor da Serra do Sul, in the state of Paraná, and the Rene Damo district, belonging to the municipality of Palma Sola, in Santa Catarina. The study is based on the observation that, although administratively linked to distinct entities, the two urban nuclei present physical continuity of urban occupation, intense functional integration, and daily relations that exceed formally established territorial boundaries. In this context, we seek to understand the factors responsible for the formation of the continuous urban fabric between the analyzed spaces, as well as to analyze the implications of this configuration for urban planning, territorial management, and local socio-spatial relations. The research is grounded in a qualitative approach, developed through bibliographic review, documentary analysis, cartographic survey, and empirical investigation. Official territorial databases, legislation, historical documents, and urban planning instruments were analyzed, in addition to the application of questionnaires to residents of the Rene Damo district, seeking to understand territorial ties, access to public services, and the sense of belonging established with Flor da Serra do Sul. The dissertation articulates theoretical foundation and empirical analysis of the production of urban space, addressing the role of the agents responsible for its formation and concepts related to contemporary urban transformations, such as diffuse city, diffuse urbanization, urban dispersion, conurbation, and urban voids. It also analyzes the process of creation of new municipalities in Brazil after the 1988 Federal Constitution, with emphasis on the small municipalities of the Immediate Geographic Region of Francisco Beltrão. Finally, it examines the territorial formation of Flor da Serra do Sul, its urban expansion, the spatial integration with the Rene Damo district, and the contradictions related to the delimitation of the interstate boundary. The results demonstrate that the urban expansion of Flor da Serra do Sul was shaped by physical, economic, and institutional factors, especially by the municipality's internal topographic limitations and the availability of favorable areas for occupation in the bordering area of Santa Catarina. It was verified that the Rene Damo district became functionally consolidated as an extension of the urban dynamics of Flor da Serra do Sul, presenting strong social, economic, and territorial integration with the municipality. Empirical surveys showed that the district's population maintains daily relations predominantly linked to the municipality of Paraná, especially regarding access to healthcare, education, commerce, and public services, in addition to expressing a significant sense of territorial belonging in relation to the neighboring city. The research also identified cartographic divergences related to the delimitation of the boundary between Paraná and Santa Catarina, whose effects go beyond the technical dimension by directly affecting an urbanized and densely occupied area. Such conditions produce relevant implications for public management, tax collection, service provision, and territorial planning. It is concluded that the analyzed reality reveals the existence of a functionally integrated territory in which administrative boundaries do not fully correspond to the spatial practices experienced by the population. Within this context, the territorial incorporation of the Rene Damo district into the urban center of Flor da Serra do Sul emerges as a possibility for preserving the municipality's capacity for urban, territorial, and administrative expansion and strengthening. In this sense, the dissertation reaffirms that small cities also present complex urban dynamics and highlights the need for territorial planning and management mechanisms capable of considering the specificities existing in urban border areas.