In this essay we present the results of an analysis of land cover change for the municipality of Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná, Brazil, using remote sensing data. Two Landsat TM images were used: a 1986 and a 2004, which were georeferenced, classified and processed, in order to obtain the vegetation maps for both dates. Quantitative aspects were analyzed, as well as the distribution of the vegetation areas over the administrative districts of Curitiba. The green areas decreased in all districts, as a result of the urban growth, mainly in areas of lower urban density and higher percentage of vegetation, i.e., the urbanization expanded beyond the traditional areas of occupation. The district that presented the greatest reduction in green areas was Pinheirinho; and the one with the least reduction was Matriz. It was possible to identify a lack of green areas where the urban occupation was more intense. This information can be useful for the planning of green areas or street tree planting, for mitigating those environmental impacts.
Green areas; Urban Forests; Remote Sensing
