The location and the place of Medium size cities in the brazilian cities network

Abstract

Based on the hypothesis that population size is an insufficient factor to explain the role of urban centers in the different hierarchical levels of the city network, Brazil’s case is analyzed for the period 2000-2010. Moreover, it is emphasizing categories in the intermediate positions of the network, the medium sized cities, centers for which there is still a limited knowledge about its function in the Brazilian network. To do that work, based on the composition of jobs of the cities in key sectors, empirical explorations are applied combining techniques of multivariate analysis based on clusters. As a result, it is possible to observe a continuity of the internalization of the network - already verified for previous temporal cuts - but with greater intensity in the North and Northeast regions, where the number of urban centers in the intermediate levels of the network was increased expressively, especially in groups related with medium-sized cities.

Keywords:
medium sized cities; urban hierarchy; centrality; network of cities; Brazil