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Urban core-periphery structure: Exploration of an emergent phenomenon
Romulo Krafta
Clarice Maraschin
Bárbara Giaccom
Gustavo Maciel Gonçalves
Leonhard Bravo Seyboth
Journal of Geography and Cartography 2026, 9(1), 0014; https://doi.org/10.24294/jgc0014
Submitted:10 Jan 2026
Accepted:31 Mar 2026
Published:20 Apr 2026
Abstract

This paper revisits the longstanding problem of the urban core-periphery structure through the lens of complexity and network theories. We argue that this relation remains central to urban science, requiring cities to be interpreted as dynamic systems in which urban form and social structure co-evolve through continuous interaction. Building on classical geographical and economic models, as well as developments in complexity science, the study proposes a systemic approach to describe and simulate the emergence of multicentricity. Using Porto Alegre (Brazil) as a case study, we examine how socio-spatial centralities emerge and interact within the urban system. The results suggest that polycentricity is not merely decentralization, but an emergent property of urban complexity shaped by path-dependent dynamics and social inequality. The study contributes to linking Latin American urbanization to broader discussions on emergence, self-organization, and peripheral urbanization.

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