E pur si muove: mobilidade urbana e comportamento de viagens em Catalão (GO)

Abstract

Due to the expansive, disordered, and chaotic growth of numerous Brazilian cities in recent decades, from the end of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st, various urban dynamics have been affected, including the circulation of people and goods, amplified by a dispersed and fragmented urban model. Presenting a high volume of pollutant emissions, intra-urban travel constitutes one of the greatest challenges to urban environmental sustainability. The socioeconomic conditions of individuals, combined with the parameters of the consolidated urban form, have contributed to the triumph of the use of private motor vehicles in cities, especially medium-sized ones. Considering this problem, this work sought to produce a diagnosis of the development of urban mobility in Catalão (GO), aiming to understand how socioeconomic conditions influence travel behavior. To this end, the research uses qualitative and quantitative methods anchored in the use of population travel monitoring applications which, integrated with the study of land use and income distribution, allowed a broad understanding of how the inhabitants of Catalão move around. In this context, IBGE data becomes fundamental for mapping urban form, allowing the creation of spatial representations in georeferenced software and serving as an essential basis for an integrated analysis of the information obtained. The results demonstrated that Catalão presents a mobility pattern marked by intense dependence on private motorized vehicles and by the low quality of infrastructure intended for both active mobility and public transport. It is also observed that the higher the income, the greater the likelihood of an individual making more trips, while lower incomes tend to face longer travel times, reinforcing inequalities in access to the city. Finally, it is understood that the work provides subsidies capable of establishing interventions in local public policies that can lead Catalão to a higher level of quality of life and a more environmentally sustainable environment for its inhabitants.