The objective of the study was the elaboration of a susceptibility map for urban planning purposes in Gouveia, a small town with about 10.000 inhabitants, localised in Minas Gerais State. The proximity of the farms to the city has not prevented the migration of people from the country. It has intensified with the increase of erosion and the decrease of productivity of the agricultural area. Inadequate land management and loss of vegetation cover are associated with the development of intensive erosion, especially gullies. Although having relatively good hydrological conditions, the city presents already indication of water supply shortage for human use purposes. Migration is taking place without the adoption of sound urban land-use planning policies. The surroundings of the city were analysed with the use of aerial-photographs (1:25.000) and sampling areas were selected on the basis of their possible priority for urban expansion. The collected data, contemplating geomorphologic, pedological and geotechnical aspects of the area, was analysed with the aim of determining the best sites from biophysical points of view for urban expansion. The analysis took also into account the intrinsic soil characteristics of the area and its suitability for urban use. By analysing thematic maps, field and laboratory data, such as water conditions, geotechnical behaviour of soil and its geomorpho-pedologic characteristics, it was possible to establish a consistent picture of the biophysical constraint of the area for urban use. The result was the generation of a final map, with the zonation of the surroundings of Gouveia in four areas, each of them with its own capability or limitation to urban land use.
*This research was financially supported by FAPEMIG.