The middle classes and socio-spatial transformations in the metropolises of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo: 2000-2010

Abstract

The first decade of the twenty-first century in Brazil was marked by significant economic, social and political changes: a substantial reduction in income inequalities; a considerable decline in unemployment and rise in formal employment; social policies lifted a sizable portion of the population out of poverty; and increased investments in education, health, housing, urban infrastructure, and culture, among others, all of which resulted in reducing inequalities on multiple levels. Against this background, and bearing in mind the historical dual character of the Brazilian city, the question that this article sets out to answer is: has the multidimensional reduction of inequalities resulted in a decline in urban segregation and inequalities? In view of the aforementioned changes, our hypothesis is that the answer to this question is positive. To demonstrate this, the article uses data from the 2000 and 2010 demographic censuses, and compares the metropolitan regions of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, based on significant methodological innovations in the way the categories of analysis are constructed, vis-à-vis the existing studies on the subject.