Intra-metropolitan mobility, social networks, and vulnerability: a study of the metropolitan region of Campinas in São Paulo, Brazil

José Marcos Cunha, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

Process of growing of the metropolitan areas, both physical and demographic, is a question of concern for various professionals of different areas, especially demographers. Regarding migration, despite its importance in this process, little is yet known about the mobility of the population inside the metropolis, although such local migrations may be just as significant as those of people from other regions for the understanding of the dynamics of the demographics and sociospatial transformations of the metropolitan area. Using data from a survey, the present paper analyzes the dislocation of people within the Metropolitan Area of Campinas (MAC, a region with 2.3 million inhabitants), State of São Paulo, Brazil, by tracing their paths in the metropolis and ascertaining what they are like. We also consider the causes of intra-metropolitan mobility, the influence of social networks on this process and relations between these networks and the vulnerability of families.