Urban mobility indexes in the capitals of Southern Brazil

Abstract

With the growing problems caused by high rates of individual motorization, allied to the expansion of cities and population growth, it is important to understand the dislocations related to urban mobility in cities, correlating to the organizing elements of the urban structure, such as the economic and social factors that influence production and consumption in urban and suburban spaces. The general objective of this article is to identify the urban mobility indexes of the capitals Curitiba, Florianópolis, and Porto Alegre, based on the collection of the data set that make up the urban spatial configuration with the application of spatial analysis tools – geographic information systems (GIS). The urban dispersion indexes, which reflect a greater distance of the population in relation to the trade and service center (TSC), were updated. From these analyses, common characteristics were verified in Porto Alegre and Curitiba, where there is a greater dispersion in the peripheral regions, while in Florianópolis a high dispersion index was identified. The capital Curitiba presented a better performance in terms of user integration with the vehicular system and accessibility to urban infrastructure if compared to Porto Alegre and Florianópolis.