Mobilidade espacial da população: fluxos pendulares entre os municípios do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Population spatial mobility involves the movement of people in time and space. In order to have assistance in approaching this topic, this research is based on the theory of geographic space, by Milton Santos (2006). This study aims to analyze the commuting flows in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte – daily journeys which do not involve changing residence – towards the state’s capital. Data from the 2010 demographic census show that state capital Natal's capacity to attract population exceeds its territorial limits and influences nearby municipalities; whereas those which are smaller and more distant are less attractive areas, have little economic dynamism and do not always offer higher education, or technical and secondary courses, which largely motivates commuting, especially among the Immediate Natal Region (RIMN) municipalities. As a methodology, a bibliographic, documentary and empirical review was used alongside a qualitative and quantitative approach, from a descriptive and explanatory perspective of the phenomenon and facts. This is a non-proportional sample study, which was supported by the application of field and social media questionnaires, the latter procedure being based on the snowball sampling method. Field research identified the sociodemographic profile, motivations and the origin of the destination of those people who commute from the RIMN municipalities towards the state’s capital. Data from the 2010 demographic census, based on the variables Work and Study, together with the results of empirical research, contribute to a broad discussion about the dynamics of intermunicipal commutes in the RIMN municipalities. With the questionnaires applied, it was possible to learn about the specificities of the reality of the flows, which enabled us to present who these people are and understand how these commuting movements towards Natal are configured. Furthermore, when comparing with Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) data, this study emphasized that, although the research is more than 10 years old, the municipalities with the highest number of flows remain: Parnamirim, São Gonçalo, Extremoz, Macaíba, and Ceará-Mirim. However, the novelty was the insertion of Poço Branco as the third municipality with the highest number of commutes towards Natal. The data show that, currently, there is greater dynamism in intermunicipal spatial mobility. This has been made possible by the deconcentration of productive activities, the new territorial division of work, associated with the easiness of commuting, so that this has interfered and changed the distances of flows in space and time. However, these changes are still permeated by social problems such as unemployment, difficulties in accessing essential services, high urban land prices in more central areas, among others. Such points have favored a greater incidence of commuting flows, which have been seen as escapes to seek better survival conditions.