Studies of Urban Network in Brazil: reflections over methodological changes

Abstract

The urban network is the system of urban centers which makes connections of influence and complementarity. In Brazil, there are several researches that performs studies upon the behavior of the national urban network, especially those developed by the Instituto Brasileira de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) on the national level, as the latter ones being named as Região de Influência das Cidades (REGIC). There are other studies on regional and state levels, as the case may be of some studies developed by the Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (IPEA) and the Instituto Paranaense de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (IPARDES), as this one focused on the state of Paraná. This article is addressed to discuss how these studies of urban network methodologically advanced since the time they started to be done by institutes irrespective from plans or policies – in 1966. Frames and timelines were used to assist the comparative analysis between the selected works. The main results showed the study of urban network in Brazil is, since its inception, extremely linked to the theories of Christaller and Rochefort. It was since the year of 2000 that new variables have begun to play a larger role in these studies, with emphasis on issues such as globalization and the social division of labor.