MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES AND THE EXPRESSIONS OF HIERARCHY-HETARARCHY IN THE BRAZILIAN URBAN SYSTEM

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4215/e22013

Keywords:

Cidades médias, Rede urbana, Hierarquia, Heterarquia

Abstract

Amid the complex web of contemporary interurban relations, there is an urgent need for analytical perspectives that advance the understanding of
spatial interactions beyond the traditional hierarchical pattern. To this end, the proposal of urban heterarchy contributes to a reading of the
movement and the leap of scales in the urban network's structure within a context of strong spatial restructuring promoted by capitalism in the light of globalization. In this work, the roles and functions of medium-sized cities are favored, to recognize the expressions of urban heterarchy in the territory. Namely, the economic sectors through which these cities establish flows and interact with other urban centers at multiple spatial scales. To this end, the trade balance (exports and imports), air network, and shopping malls were selected as analytical dimensions, whose economic logic reveals the changes in the ongoing urban structuring.


Keywords: Medium-sized Cities, Urban Hierarchy-Hetararchy, Exports and Imports, Airports, Shopping Malls.

Author Biographies

  • Jefferson Santos Fernandes, São Paulo State University, Presidente Prudente (SP) Brazil

    PhD student in Geography at the São Paulo State University - Presidente Prudente Campus. He is a member of the Research Group on Space Production and Regional Redefinitions (GAsPERR), the Network of Researchers on Medium-Sized Cities (ReCiMe) and the Observatory of Metropolises - Fortaleza Center. He is currently a professor in the state education system of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. He has experience in the area of ​​Geography, working in the areas of Urban Geography, Regional Geography and Health Geography.

  • Márcio José Veríssimo Catelan, São Paulo State University, Presidente Prudente (SP) Brazil

    Professor at the São Paulo State University, Faculty of Science, Technology and Education/FCTE, Department of Geography and Planning, Ourinhos Campus/SP, and the Postgraduate Program in Geography (Master's and Doctorate), Faculty of Science and Technology/FCT, São Paulo State University, Presidente Prudente Campus/SP. Coordinator of the Human Geography Laboratory - Laghu/FCTE, member of the Research Group on Space Production and Regional Redefinitions/FCT and of the Researchers Network on Medium-Sized Cities/ReCiMe. She completed a PhD-sandwich internship at the University of Lleida/Catalonia. Visiting professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico - UNAM. She works in the area of ​​Geography, with an emphasis on Urban and Regional Geography.

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Published

2023-07-10

Issue

Vol. 22 (2023)

Section

Artigos

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