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