Territorial discontinuity and the formation of urban voids: a growth pattern in intermediate cities in the state of São Paulo

Urban voids are a phenomenon of contemporary urbanization, characterized by dispersion, sprawl, discontinuity, and fragmentation. They emerge from the interplay between urban expansion and speculative land retention, constituting both a process and a consequence of prevailing ways of producing "city." This article stems from research conducted to investigate whether, between 1950 and 2020, urban expansion, marked by the presence of urban voids, constitutes a physical-temporal pattern in intermediate cities across the state of São Paulo. The study analyzed the evolution of the urban areas and perimeters of eleven municipalities through mapping and characterization records. The findings have confirmed a growth pattern in the urban fabric marked by territorial discontinuity, with peripheral, interstitial and vacant-lot voids, in which four strategic periods of urban sprawl were distinguished. The approach challenges the predominant perspective regarding the onset of urban sprawl in intermediate cities throughout the state, offering a historical and comparative analysis that may inform public policies and contribute to broader reflections on the urban expansion pattern in the interior of the state of São Paulo.