Evidence of the metropolization of space in the 21st Century: elements for the identification and delimitation of the phenomenon

Abstract

The identification and delimitation of the process of metropolization of space has been a challenge for urban researchers, mainly because of its underlying elements. This paper presents a theoretical and methodological proposal for identifying and delimiting metropolization based on the analysis of the spatial location of industrial and logistic plants, the general conditions of production, work commuting, and migration. Using the urban process of the State of Espírito Santo as a case study, we verify the expansion of metropolization to the non-metropolitan municipalities of Aracruz, Linhares and São Mateus, showing that the elements used for the analysis were relevant to the identification and delimitation of the process of space metropolization.