From the treatment and technical analysis of the collected data with the citizens and institutions of the 34 municipalities of the RMBH during the Cycle A, it was possible to identify recent tendencies of metropolitan development. Economic, historic, politic and cultural matter of the metropolis were taken into consideration in an effort to rebuild the processes of territorial transformation of the municipalities. The solidification of this information allowed the identification of the vectors of metropolitan expansion, which groups municipalities with similarities and proximity beyond the geographic relation. As the cities’ activities diversity is high, it is natural that some cities appear in more than one group. Meet the main tendencies in each one of these six vectors:
Northwest Vector: Four municipalities compose the Northwest vector of the RMBH: Belo Horizonte, Contagem, Esmeraldas and Ribeirão das Neves. The main highway of the vector is the BR 040 going to Brasília. The economic expansion of Sete Lagoas, placed in the Metropolitan Belt, has influence over these cities. The dam of Vargem das Flores is the main hydric resource of the vector and is environmentally compromised. The industrial and logistic economic activities are rising. On the other hand, there is a great concentration of precarious urban services, as well as low income housing settlements under risky and irregular conditions. An increase in the real estate market activities for low income population is observed.
North Vector: It envelops the cities of Baldim, Belo Horizonte, Capim Branco, Confins, Jaboticatubas, Lagoa Santa, Matozinhos, Pedro Leopoldo, Ribeirão das Neves, Santa Luzia, São José da Lapa and Vespasiano, this vector is passing a process of transformation, incorporating a group of new activities, while others remain. It still possess low touristic attraction in relation to other vectors. However, there are interests concerning urban occupation, mining, environmental preservation and to attract new activities. There is prominence of the expansion of gated communities, irregular occupations and risk of eviction of the low income family face the real estate market valuation. It is in this vector where the Linha Verde is located, and there debates, or are already set in motion, many projects, such as the Aerotropolis/Industrial Airport, Medical City, Fashion City, Culture City, among others.
East Vector: Belo Horizonte, Caeté, Nova União, Sabará and Taquaraçu de Minas are part of this vector, whose main highway axis is the BR 381. The precarious settlements and the increase in the pressures of urban occupation strongly highlight. The presence of the mining conflicts with the interests of environmental preservation: the degradation of the Rio das Velhas Basin interfere in the hydrographic quality of the metropolis. Besides these factors, there are risks of attrition between interests over historic heritage and agribusiness. This is the vector of higher metropolitan integration.
West Vector: Vector characterized by the overflow of the industrial expansion of the node Contagem-Betim over the other municipalities with high increase in allotments. The node follow the MG 050 and BR 262. Besides, there is an evident environmental degradation of the Betim and Vargem das Flores Rivers, as well as the presence of agricultural activities to supply the RMBH. This Vector contains parts of the municipalities of Belo Horizonte, Betim, Contagem, Esmeraldas, Florestal, Juatuba e Mateus Leme.
Southwest Vector: Belo Horizonte, Betim, Brumadinho, Contagem, Ibirité, Igarapé, Itaguara, Itatiaiuçu, Mário Campos, Rio Manso, São Joaquim de Bicas e Sarzedo are part of this vector shaped by the Contagem-Betim industrial overflow until São Joaquim de Bicas-Igarapé. The precarious settlements, urban occupations and the degradation of the Paraopeba River also appear as relevant aspects of this vector that has the BR 381 as main highway axis.
South Vector: The south vector contrast for its centralities that mutually reinforce each other and that are distributed along the node of the BR 356, BR 040, and MG 030 highways. Belo Horizonte, Brumadinho, Nova Lima, Rio Acima and Raposos are parts of this Vector. Such municipalities live together with the ongoing process of consolidation of new centralities, the urban expansion with gated communities along the main highways, and the conflicts among the mining activity (the strongest activity of the vector) and the environmental preservation of the Serra da Moeda, other protected areas and the water streams and aquifers of the region.