Relações entre forma urbana, questões socioeconômicas e comportamento de viagem: um estudo de caso em Uberlândia - MG

Abstract

Developing countries, especially in the last decades of the 20th century, witnessed high rates of urbanization, which had the well-known effect of the cities chaotic growth. Among the activities affected by such a development model is the circulation of people and goods, which concentrate great energy demand and a high volume of pollutant emissions in the city. The problem was accentuated as the urban form and socioeconomic conditions elected private motor vehicles as the preferred means of transport. In practice, the model contradicts the findings of extensive literature that proves that collective and active means of transport are related to lower energy consumption and emissions rates than those presented by private cars, and therefore would be considered more sustainable. Considering this problem, the present work sought to understand which urban and socioeconomic parameters are related to lower energy and emission intensity displacements. To this end, IBGE data and field analysis were transformed into indices and analyzed together with the characteristics of the research participants' daily commutes. As a cutout, 6 census sectors are presented with different characteristics in terms of population density and income in the medium city of Uberlândia, with about 700 thousand inhabitants. The efficiency parameters chosen were trip length (PKM), modal share, energy consumption index (ICE) and emissions index (IE). The results showed that PKM is influenced by the presence of basic urban equipment in the region, land use and connectivity, while modal share is a function mostly linked to income, with a secondary influence of PKM. The energy consumption and emissions indices are, in turn, a function of the modal share, and for the latter, the fuel used also matters. The results point to an important influence of the urban form on travel behavior, especially its potential to enable desirable changes towards more sustainable models of travel. The data also show a great influence of family income, with a considerable increase in emissions and a worsening of energy efficiency as purchasing power increases. Finally, it is understood that the work bequeaths important subsidies to urban planners, designers and public managers in the elaboration of projects, interventions and public policies that leads to cities with better quality of life and environmentally sustainable.