Notes about Medium Cities: a purpose to Bahia

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to stimulate discussions on the terms city, urban and medium- sized city, with a view to proposing criteria which, considering the specificities of the urban network of Bahia, allow to identify their medium-sized cities. Certainly because it deals, at the same time, of a theoretical debate and a mapping exercise, here does not dissipate the subject at hand. With this paperwe intend to establish a starting point for the posterior elaboration of deepening studies about this question and give account of thesingularities of these cities. It is understood though its results may provide of subsidies to similar researches to be conducted in other states. This work finds itself divided into four parts, and a brief introduction. Initially, we presented some ideas and concepts, made ??by different authors, about city and its relationship with urbanization due to industrialization. The second topic was realized a reflection of the theme medium-sized city, which reviews questions related to population size as a principle for their identification, characteristics and roles. Based on these considerations and analysis of some of the peculiarities of the urban network of state, proposed a set of basic criterions to see which of their municipal seats would be so categorized. Finally, we had woven additional discussions on this subject, highlighting the importance of studying it.