The city within the city. An edge city in São José do Rio Preto

Abstract

The implantation of enclosed residential communities in medium-sized cities in the state of São Paulo – Brazil – has redefined the logic of their urban space structuration, transforming the relations between the city center and the outskirts, as well as its socio-cultural contents, causing the articulation among the different fractions of the urban fabric to be more complex. The strategies used by the agents of this urban space production, as well as the values orienting the consumptiom of these new real estate “products”, have their roots in our socio-spatial formation and indicate the interest of auto-segregation of part of these cities dwellers. The analysis of one of these real estate developments, an edge city, in São José do Rio Preto, shows us the emerging of a “city” within the city and indicates the deepening of disparities, in the spatial plan, which might contribute to an urban fragmentation.