The spatial dynamic of trade and consuption in small towns: the case of Ipeúna - SP - Brazil

Abstract

The economic and spatial transformations driven by the current paradigm of flexible production resulted in the alteration of intra-urban and regional relations of small towns. Tied to this dynamic, it appears that commercial and consumer relations materialized in the urban space of the small towns also suffer changes from the formation of a consumer market. All these changes directly affect the relationship between the medium and small cities. Thus, the small towns socio-spatial reality presents opportunities for promotion or loss of centrality. Understanding this process requires a regional comparative approach between the roles played by small and medium cities. In this sense, the analysis of the spatial dynamics of trade and consumption in Ipeúna (SP) requires a thorough search, since the city has peculiar characteristics in the region where it operates. In this context, this research is mainly aimed to analyze the dynamics of Ipeúna connection while small city compared with medium city over retail in order to understand the relationships of dependence and/or complementarity.