A relação entre espraiamento urbano, oferta de infraestrutura social e distribuição de renda no Brasil

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between urban sprawl and income distribution policies in Brazil, particularly the Bolsa Família program, with a focus on access to social infrastructure (such as housing, household surroundings characteristics, basic sanitation, and urban mobility) for vulnerable populations. The main results from panel data regressions with fixed effects and temporal lags indicate that small municipalities (with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants) tend to exhibit a sustained increase in urban expansion over time as the number of Bolsa Família beneficiaries grows. MapBiomas urban expansion data were used as a proxy for urban sprawl. The regression results are generally heterogeneous and reflect the theoretical analysis of urban sprawl as a social phenomenon — the product of a process that shapes and is shaped by power relations, affecting the reach and functioning of the formal state, while also altering and being altered by the conditions of welfare provision for the population, particularly those related to social infrastructure. The multidimensional analysis draws on three main theoretical frameworks: Amartya Sen's Capability Approach, Bourdieu's Theory of Capital, and Milton Santos' concept of the Totality of Space. To assess the impacts of urban sprawl, three territorial scales were examined: Brazil as a whole, the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region (RMRJ), and the municipality of Maricá. At the national level, historical data reveal a decline in population and household growth rates. However, while population growth approaches stagnation, the total number of households continues to rise, driven by a reduction in the average number of residents per household, which explains the persistence of urban expansion in Brazil. The analysis also highlights the enduring income inequality in the country, despite the demonstrated success of the Bolsa Família program. Furthermore, inadequate planning has led to the construction of housing in areas far from urban centres, increasing the cost and reducing the quality of social infrastructure provision across the territory. The RMRJ mirrors the national picture, with stagnant population growth and ongoing urban expansion concentrated in the eastern and western macro-regions of the metropolis, distant from major urban centres. Maricá presents a particular case due to substantial oil royalty revenues, yet it faces a significant deficit in basic sanitation provision. Urban expansion is underway across all four of the municipality's districts, which are geographically dispersed from one another. Areas of Maricá that have undergone urbanization more recently are more spatially scattered and have less access to social infrastructure than older urbanized areas, revealing the social consequences of sprawl. The findings reinforce the need for planning and public policies to curb ongoing urban sprawl in Brazil, with a view to reducing the costs of social infrastructure provision and improving quality of life — particularly for vulnerable populations.