The Brazilian cities have been facing problems due to the improper use of the urban space, mainly, related to the natural resources. In this case, the study of the dynamics of land use is important in the understanding of the processes occured in the urban environment. This research was aimed at analysing the space and temporal dynamics of land occupation in urban areas of Santa Maria - RS, Brazil, determining the conflicts of the land use through the Urban Land Use Potencial System (SAPUT), considering information from 1975 to 2002. The urban land use raised from 9% in 1975 to 33% in 2002. The conflicts of land use have increased from 19% in 1975, to 37% in 1995, reducing to 33% in 2002. The main problems of the improper land use are linked to the fragility of the geological material and soil resource when used for constructions and urban agriculture.
land use classification; pedology; remote sensing
