Explanatory literature analysis about the contemporary process of Brazilian cities creation

Abstract

In Brazil, during the 1990s and the beginning of the 21^st century, the creation of hundreds of cities drew the attention of both the press and society. The scope attracted attention to the phenomenon and the creation of Brazilian cities soon became a subject of research in many scientific fields. This study analyses how the subject was introduced and explained by the literature resulting from these research studies. There are two approaches: one group that proposes to understand the reasons for the creation of these cities and another which aims to understand its consequences. Presented here are the arguments and conclusions from both groups and the range of explanations about the same phenomenon, which is both territorial and social in nature. This survey constitutes a basis for critical insights into the researchers’ perspective and also a manner of observing where the gaps are in the approach to Brazilian territorial division and the possibilities of progress in the analysis of this subject.