Peculiarities on the urban dimension in small towns in the Amazon region

Abstract

This article discusses the urban dimension in small towns in the Amazon region, highlighting the concept of small towns. The argument considers that economic, social and cultural dynamics of small Amazonian cities is little known by the federal government, and these loosely incorporated cities in the Brazilian urban planning as well as receive little investment with regard to public and social policies. The theoretical and methodological approach to research is based on the dialectical method of social theory of Marx, and the methodological procedure the literature. From the studies of small towns in the Amazon can stand out as unique building blocks to the urban dimension of these cities: the low population density; b) poor access to physical and social infrastructure; c) the existence of culturally different ways of life (Indians, quilombolas, riparian) with a complex urban / rural network; d) difficult to access by geographic distance, with some cities accessed by the river; e) worsening of the terms of the social question (income, employment, access to social policies); e) low municipal and administrative capacity; f) indigenous peoples' resistance and traditional communities at different live mode (maroon and riverine), which confirms the need for incorporation of these peculiarities in the planning and execution of government policies