Resumen

FERREIRA, Heloísa. The main centre in polycentric city structures: transformations and maintenance in medium-sized cities of São Paulo state. GOT [online]. 2018, n.15, pp.199-229. ISSN 2182-1267.  https://doi.org/10.17127/got/2018.15.009.

As a result of the increase of the functions of the urban centers within the urban network, polycentric structuring implies, on an intra-urban scale, both competitive and complementarity relations among central areas. While this diversification entails complexity in the identification of a main center, the tendency is for the city center to remain the main space of consumption. Starting with Marília, Presidente Prudente, and São Carlos, located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, we sought to identify the main centers of medium-sized cities, which exhibited new functions and redefined spatial logics and practices in intra-urban spaces. Between transformations and permanency, we identified the maintenance of the city center as the main hub in Marília and São Carlos and a tenuous hierarchy of central areas in Presidente Prudente.

Palabras clave : city center; main center; polycentrality; medium-sized cities.

        · resumen en Portugués     · texto en Portugués     · Portugués ( pdf )