INDUSTRIAL DYNAMICS AND URBANIZATION IN THE NORTHEAST OF BRAZIL

Abstract The context in which the forces of acceleration of objects and flows are materialized in space as a result of the hegemony of economic interests, engenders an unprecedented mobility on a local, national and global scale by integrating urban and regional systems through a network of relationships commanded by productive industrial investments. The effects of these changes in the Northeast region of Brazil are emphasized, especially regarding the urbanization process, which conditions the territorial division of labor, the aspects concerning urban restructuring and the articulation between cities and regions. The article investigates these issues, considering the different impacts of three productive spatial configurations, which are responsible for redefining the central roles of some cities and for changing the functioning of the traditional arrangements of the northeastern urban network, now delineated by different centralities and connections.