FUNCTIONAL URBAN REGIONS AND TRANSPORTATION SUPPLY IN THE STATE OF BAHIA, BRAZIL

• Grant number: 09/05077-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2009
• End date: September 30, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Urban and Regional Planning - Methods and Techniques of Urban and Regional Planning
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Nelson Rodrigues da Silva
• Grantee: Heber Tiago Santos Pereira
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this research proposal is to identify functional urban regions (FURs) in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Techniques of two subdivisions of spatial analyses shall be explored in order to reach the proposed goal. Exploratory Spatial Data Analyses tools, such as the Moran map and the Moran scatterplot, must be used in the definition of regions that are uniform regarding one or more specific variables. In addition, the Moran scatterplot allows the identification of the relative importance of the quadrants to which neighbor municipalities belong to. The resulting functional urban regions will be compared with those delimited with another technique, known as SKATER - Spatial 'K'luster Analysis by Tree Edge Removal. Both outcomes will be subsequently compared with the official boundaries provided by IBGE. The following step shall be the comparison of the functional urban regions identified in the models with the actual state road network, in order to look for patterns in the relationships between FURs and transportation supply.