In light of the historical relationship between epidemiology and geographic space and the relevance of a detailed examination of models for the production of cities, this article systematizes the notions of space/territory that have influenced urban sociology since the 1970s in Brazil. The principal analytical models for large Brazilian cities are discussed in such disciplines as urban sociology, human geography, regional economics, and urban planning. The article suggests that the distribution of public investments bears a close relationship to the social structure crystallized in space. The text attempts to expand the basis for a dialogue between the literature underlying the analyses of so-called socio-spatial inequalities and collective health. Two key points are raised in the article: there are increasingly available computational techniques leading to more widespread use of variables that are amenable to spatial expression; but, these facilities lack a more sociological or humanistic approach for both the methodological design and the results of such analyses.
Socio-spatial inequalities; Collective health; Geographic space; Social sciences and health