Cities of Agribusiness: Market-Driven Expansion and Socio-spatial Reconfiguration

Market-Driven Expansion and Socio-spatial Reconfiguration

Resumo

The coordinated action of public, private, and landholding agents, linked to the expansion of agribusiness in Brazil, has driven profound transformations in medium-sized cities located in regions of agro-industrial specialisation. In this context, this article analyses recent urban expansion in the municipalities of Ijuí, Santa Rosa, and Santo Ângelo, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The study adopts a qualitative, descriptive–explanatory approach, based on documentary analysis of legislation and master plans, examination of secondary data on demography, economy, and land use, and sixteen semi-structured interviews with representatives of the state, the real estate sector, and civil society. The results, interpreted from a critical socio-spatial perspective, indicate that agribusiness-led economic dynamism shapes the strategies of public and private actors in converting rural land into urbanisable areas, thereby intensifying selective expansion of the urban perimeter and promoting medium- and high-standard developments associated with land valorisation. This articulation reinforces the capture of urban planning by economic interests and contributes to the production of selective and unequal urbanisation in the medium-sized cities examined.