Leonel Dos Reis

This book discusses the formation of new urban centralities in medium-sized cities, based on a study carried out by the author in 2014 on the sub-centre of Bairro Abadia in Uberaba-MG. The city of Uberaba is located in the Triângulo Mineiro region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and has 328,712 inhabitants (2017). In the last quarter of the 20th century, it underwent intense transformations (demographic, socio-economic and spatial) that led to the break-up of the Central Area’s monopoly on consumer and labour flows, with the emergence of secondary centres of commerce and services, called sub-centres. The most notable of these, due to its diverse commercial structure and accessibility, is the Abadia neighbourhood. In addition to the sub-centres, there has also been the consolidation of new commercial hubs and the construction of shopping centres. From this perspective, it can be said that the structuring of the city of Uberaba has become more complex, multi(poly)centred and fragmented. Throughout the book, we will understand how these dynamics and processes have actually come about. I wish you a pleasant reading!