Comunidades Rurais (mas nem tanto)

proposta de definição de critérios para diferenciação rural-urbana

Abstract

The lack of a clear methodology for defining what is urban and what is rural causes some surrounding communities of São João del Rei city, MG suffer negative consequences as public policies are not always directed according to the characteristic of each. To find out if these communities are really rural or urban proposed a methodology to define differentiation criteria. Criteria are rules that allow give the reasons needed to achieve the results of this research. The best criteria were found occupational activities for its residents, since they are the ones that define the social group. It is understood that the geographic space is a social space. Thus, the activities developed by its residents characterize their social groups and can be characterizing their spaces. In conclusion seized dry only three of the seven communities studied, maintains rural areas characteristics, while others have predominantly urban characteristics, even all of them being equidistant from the municipal seat. Ie in this case, the distance, the size, the morphology and population density were not appropriate criteria to distinguish rural communities to urban communities. The best test for distinguishing found in this area was the survey of occupational activities of its residents.