New centers, new centralities, new differences. The fragmentation of the urban space of Londrina

Abstract

From the conception that it does not exist city nor urban reality but a center, this research has for main objective the analysis of the process of decentralization and redefinition of the centrality in/of Londrina city, with the intention to explain the segmentation of the urban space, that presents a considerable level of fragmentation. For in a such way, we carry through a study in two central areas of Londrina, that differs in relation to the social class they attend and in relation of how big is its power of attraction. We studied the Catuaí Shopping Center, that express as interurban scale of centrality, that attracts population of high social classes and the Zone North, that is constituted of popular housings, constructed in the years of 1970, with a population of approximately 100.000 inhabitants, presenting a concentration of commercial and services establishments, sufficient to attend the local population demand. This study carry out a comparative analisys between these two central areas, analyzing the degrees of centrality and the social classes, capitals, ideas and the consequent conflicts between the involved agents of structuring the urban space of Londrina. Key-Words: Urban Centrality; Decentralization; Urban structuring; Fragmentation.