Notes on the concept of location: impacts on reflections about socio-spatial segregation

Abstract

The preponderance of the capitalist mode of production of space over urban processes is one of the main factors in the structuring of socio-spatial inequalities in contemporary metropolises. In this context, there is much discussion about the causes of segregation and how to overcome the disparities that arise between different social groups in intra-urban space. In light of this, the present article proposes an examination of the concept of location in order to offer a more in-depth understanding of the problem of socio-spatial segregation in our cities and the possible ways to address it. Initially, an analysis is presented on the category of space and its social implications in the advent of modern capitalism, in which urban space began to assume the attributes of the commodity form. Next, the problem of socio-spatial segregation and its relationship with the capitalist model of urbanization is addressed from the theory of location, seeking to demonstrate how certain locations, because they incorporate differentiated use value and exchange value, become more valued than others, which contributes to the intensification of social and urban inequalities. Then, a discussion is proposed on the social stratification of urban territory, highlighting the relationship between "geographic space" and "social space" in the structuring of inequalities. Finally, the article concludes with a critical reflection on the urban problem, emphasizing the need to think about alternatives to the current socio-spatial organization model.