This paper examines issues of expansion of mid-sized cities, such as João Pessoa, capital of the State of Paraiba, in order to verify the performance of different segments of civil society, of private initiative and public sector and its contributions to the deployment of a sprawling growth model. This study compares the car-road model to the precepts espoused by an opposed line of thought, the "urban sustainability". For this purpose, reference is made to the studies already undertaken on the urban evolution of João Pessoa, urban interventions relating to the actors involved with the improvements in the transportation sector. Finally, the proposed plans and contemporary designs for public transport are analyzed from the perspective of the principles of urban sustainability, emphasizing the need for dialogue between different social actors to deployment of alternative shift compatible with the historical, cultural, social, political and economic location's complexity and specificity.
Urban sprawl; Urban sustainability; Social actors