FROM THE CENTER-PERIPHERY LOGIC TO THE FRAGMENTARY SOCIO-SPATIAL LOGIC IN A MEDIUM SIZED CITY

Abstract

Through a procedural approach and with the support of empirical elements, this study examines the segmentation dynamics that shape the center-peripheral logic and move towards the delineation of more complex forms of structuring a medium-sized city. The study takes as an analytical framework the role of the municipal government which, in connection with the land-real estate-incorporating capital, reconfigures the urban fabric and favors the emergence of new socio-spatial relationships in the city of Dourados, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. To measure this process, in addition to the development of a comprehensive map, the following methodological procedures were adopted: bibliographic survey; information collected on the spot; survey and data collection with the Municipal Agency of Social Interest Housing. Secondary data research was based on multiple demographic censuses, municipal legislation, virtual platforms of real estate developers operating in the city and also the Sistema Integrado de Seleção Habitacional (Integrated Housing Selection System)/Ministry of Regional Development/Minha Casa Minha Vida (My house My Life) social housing program. In Dourados, ongoing dynamics reveal complexity in the arrangement of segregation, and the elements present in them indicate that the conceptual notion of fragmentation is enhanced as an analytical reference. Especially from the year 2000 the arrangement process has been strengthened, causing the deepening of differences and shaping socio-spatial logics that, although occurring first and with greater intensity in large cities, have gained importance in medium-sized cities.

Keywords:
Spatial Restructuring; Public Power; Socio-Spatial Fragmentation; Medium Sized City