Resumen
The new urban order in the territorialization of cities, in general, is based on the principles of an ever more fragmented and dispersed growth across the territory. However, the growth of the urban area of Maringá diverges from this new order, retaining its compact form. In this study, the urban area of Maringá is composed of the cities of Maringá, Sarandi and Paiçandu in the State of Paraná, Brazil. The objectives of this article are to define the urban form of Maringá considering the variables compact city, fragmented city and disperse city and to identify the periods of urban expansion for each variable. The timeline of this study begins with the implantation of the cities in the 1940s and continues until the year 2016, since the urban area been mapped in a decennial diachronic series. Originally compact, the urban area fragments as it expands, in a movement that continues until the 2000s. After that, the occupation of its center predominates, making it compact again. Given these points, the beginning of a new cycle or new model of urban expansion is evident for Maringá.