Mobility and Urban Centralities: An Analysis Based on the Motorized Flows Attraction in Belo Horizonte/State of Minas Gerais/Brazil

Abstract

The issues encompassing planning and management of the urban space are directly related to the transport system, of which the flow plays a central role. Therefore, an interdependence among urban tissue, space structuring, and demand for mobility are taken into account. The objective of this work, using the data taken from the last two Origin and Destination surveys (2002 and 2012), is to assess the possible reduced power of attraction of the Central Area of Belo Horizonte by means of the motorized flows as a result of the process of induction of power of attraction of new urban centralities through planning and management policies. The results presented in this work generally indicate that the spatial structure of Belo Horizonte has remained concentrated in the Central Area, though new flows seem to converge to the consolidation of new municipal centralities. Even if additional care in the interpretation of results is necessary due to the limited time cuts and the database used, besides the specific features of Belo Horizonte, the empirical evidence translated in the proposed indicators allow a more accurate reflection on the recent urban space configuration, with the connections established through the space mobility of the population.