Integration between the metropolis of Rio de Janeiro and the Urban Agglomeration of Macaé

Abstract

The aim of this article is to understand the different forms of integration between urban spaces and how these different forms of integration produce differentiated units. The first form of integration is related to everyday commuting. Another form of urban integration is related to the formation of an urban network in which goods and services are arranged hierarchically, and how, to find certain goods, residents of lower-ranking cities need to travel to higher-ranking cities. The third form of integration is related to regional flows, mostly the movement of goods and flows of people that take place at different times. We then discuss how the integration between the metropolis of Rio de Janeiro and the urban agglomeration of Macaé takes place to demonstrate how the process of urban integration manifests itself.