Multicentralidade e policentralidade intraurbana na Grande Vitória

Abstract

This research aims to identify and qualify the metropolitan centralities in the intra-urban space of the metropolitan area of Vitória (RMGV), Espírito Santo, Brazil, to understand the nature of the decentralization process of its urban agglomeration based on the current configuration of its established and under development central areas. For this, it resorts to the theory of uneven development to explain the processes of spatial differentiation that generate urban centrality in the capitalist city. The research presents literature review on the concept of urban centrality to identify the characteristics that differentiate the monocentric, multicentric and polycentric city. To identify the central areas and expressions of centrality, the research uses four approaches. At first, RMGV’s spatial decentralization process is analyzed based on metropolitan planning documents and the characterization of consolidated central areas and new expressions of centrality resulting from the context of restructuring of the. Second, it identifies potential centralities and morphological changes caused by the construction of a bridge (Terceira Ponte) based on the analysis of the spatial configuration with the Space Syntax theory. Then, from the intra-urban commuting of people, the research analyzes the multiple expressions of centrality that occur in the metropolitan areas of Vitória. Finally, the central areas are identified based on the concentration of commercial and service establishments. The research shows that, although metropolitan planning, since the 1970s, proposes the consolidation of a polynuclear city, the recent polycentric constitution of the RMGV is associated with the construction of large areas of commerce and services, as part of a process of urban restructuring produced as a frontier for capitalist accumulation. The implementation of large real estate developments complexifies the city structure, generates complementary and competitive relationships between centers, and engenders processes of socio-spatial segregation and fragmentation.