Demography as a condition for residential location: an analysis for the Metropolitan Region of Recife

Abstract

Considering the quick Brazilian demographic transition, the article characterizes and analyzes the dispersion of people by age group in the Metropolitan Region of Recife and discusses possible variables that may influence this spatial configuration. The research uses the information from census tracts of the IBGE Demographic Census (2010) and demonstrates that demography has a effect on family location no explained, for example, by income differentials. Obtained using both parametric and non-parametric methods, the results indicate the existence of substantial differences between the gradients for the relationship between demographic density and distance to the CBD according to groups of age, being the highest and lowest values found, respectively, for families with more children and with strong presence old people. These patterns are consistent with higher demand for space and the importance of accessibility to services for both groups. The set of results suggest, thus, that the current changes of Brazilian demography (increasing importance of the oldest population and decreasing relevance of child and teenagers) may generate higher urban density in central locations, putting new challengers for urban planning of cities.