Socio-territorial fragmentation and quality of urban life in Bahí­a Blanca

Abstract

This paper aims at accounting both for the deterioration of the living conditions of the population as well as for the socio-spatial fragmentation of the urban conglomerate of Bahí­a Blanca by means of the application of a Life Quality summary-index. The following dimensions are analyzed with this purpose in mind: housing, education, health and environment, as well as the combination of the variables which are part of the socio-spatial configuration. Thus, the research shows the areas' fragmentations and differentiation which are invested in profound inequalities as regards living conditions and the availability of urban utilities. The information for measuring the differences in quality of life of the population of Bahí­a Blanca comes from the data obtained from the 2001 Census on the level of census radius; and its treatment was carried out through the application of REDATAM+SP. Moreover, a Geographic Information System was used for the cartographic representation, which allowed for a more detailed intra-urban analysis.