Commuting and road infrastructure in the Micro-regions of Minas Gerais state, Brazil

Abstract

Commuting has traditionally been used as an indicator of integration between places. With the consolidation of the industrialization and urbanization processes of the country, it becomes increasingly relevant to examine the commuting, including how road infrastructure can facilitate the displacement of individuals in space. This article aims to evaluate the possible relationship between road density in the intensity of daily commutes for work and study among municipalities in the micro-regions of Minas Gerais. As part of the analysis methodology, a Road Density Index was proposed, which considers the paved roads that make up the state grid until 2013, as well as the number of municipal seats and the resident population in each micro-region. For the analysis of the pendulous movements, the sample microdata of the Demographic Census of 2010 was used, through the combination of the variables that identify the municipality the working and/or study. The results allowed to observe that in addition to a relation of low determination, considering the insignificant values obtained by the analysis of linear regression general and local, the regions of the state that had dense road mesh, especially in the region of the Triangulo Mineiro, also exhibited low the spatial mobility of the population. There are also the microregions that stood out for the high mobility, as of Belo Horizonte, Ipatinga and Conselheiro Lafaiete, located in the central portion of Minas, despite a "deficit" road infrastructure.