Heterogeneity and spatial fragmentation in the Sao Paulo macrometropolis: The production of borders and holes

Abstract

The article aims to reveal the heterogeneities and fragmentations of the produced space in the Sao Paulo Macrometropolis, unveiling the characteristics of its holes-territories that, on one hand, do not make up the urban-industrial arrangements that give identity to this city-region, yet they do provide ecosystem services and enable other ways of life. The article arose from a conceptual survey about this city-region, focusing on the vision of heterogeneity, fragmentation and symbolic construction, and reflects on the identity and produced space in the Sao Paulo Macrometropolis (SPMM) to support the empirical analysis of the region. Through spatial analysis it presents the characteristics of territories of the Macrometropolis that are not brought to light analytically, nor are they the focus of public policies, despite their regional importance.