Polycentrism and hierarchy of localities of “altos sur” region of Jalisco, 2010

Abstract

Objective Analyze the hierarchical system of the localities of the Altos Sur region in Jalisco Mexico, as a result of the application of the Methodology for the concentration and dispersion of the Mexican population based on the Polycentric Model. Methodology Comparison between the traditional classification of localities by size of locality of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the institution in the country that offers periodical socio-demographic official information, against that derived from the Methodology for the concentration and dispersion of the Mexican population from the Polycentric Model to emphasize the qualitative advantage that this last one offers for investigations in urban-rural scopes when giving a relative weight to the localities from its characteristics and functional structure. Conclusions The hierarchical method determined potential centralities of the region, understanding that a main center/core or morphological unit is capable of providing employment and specialized services endogenously, both to its population and to those surrounding it. It is therefore a point that acts as a node in the territorial matrix, capable of attracting flows for the consumption of goods and the demand of the population. Originality The Methodology for the concentration and dispersion of the Mexican population based on the Polycentric Model in comparison with the traditional hierarchy of localities in Mexico was able to expose a system of cities that demarcated social, political and economic influences among localities in the Southern Highlands region of Jalisco, at the same time as it defined population centers that due to their spatially concentrated critical mass have the potential to represent a hierarchical structure to expose them, strengthen their economic activity or shore them up, in order to maintain their local economic development.