Changes in segregation patterns in medium-sized cities in the state of São Paulo between 2000 and 2010

Brazil underwent political and economic changes that led to a reduction in social inequalities between 2000 and 2010. Studies indicated that during the same period, there was an increase in the level of residential segregation in metropolitan spaces, as opposed to a reduction accompanying the inequalities. This paper contributes to this body of studies, by analyzing residential segregation in medium-sized cities, quantitatively and spatially, during the period between 2000 and 2010. The study aims to quantify the degree of segregation in five medium-sized cities in the state of São Paulo and analyze the evolution of their spatial patterns, via a comparative perspective. The measurement of segregation, using global and local spatial indices, has indicated an increase in residential segregation similar to those identified by studies for metropolitan areas, in which the highest and lowest income groups are markedly the most segregated. However, this was not the case for all cities, an unchanged degree and pattern of segregation were also identified during the same period in one of the cities. These results are discussed within the context of the urban changes that have taken place in medium-sized cities, such as the valorization of real estate in specific sectors of the cities, amidst the continued process of peripheralization of the low-income population.