THE METROPOLIS CENTRALITY IN PIECES: REFLECTIONS ON THE NEW CENTERS AND THEIR CENTRALITIES

Abstract

The present text aims to be a contribution for the research of metropolitan centrality. The way of analysischosen for this was the following: at first we make some important theoretical distinction related to this thematic; secondly, based on this discussion, we deal with a recent phenomenon that is the rise of the so called “new centralities”. The first distinction treated in the text is between the centrality of metropolis and the centrality in metropolis. The centrality of metropolis occurs in regional scale and the centrality in metropolis occurs in an intra-urban scale. The second distinction is between the center, material reality originated from the centralization process, and the centrality, the ability of polarization of a center from its material configuration. Based on these distinctions we seek to deal with the characteristics of “new centers” and centrality that the same express confronting these characteristics with the traditional centers.