1 Introduction

Urban geography is undoubtedly one of the most important subdisciplines of Brazilian geography. First, because it is a pioneer on the topic: a text on urban geography was recently found in a publication by an author from Bahia in 1913. Second, it should also be noted that among the disciplines dealing with cities in Brazil, geography is the oldest and has the largest number of published works (Valladares et al. 1991). Third, because of the volume of production: in the surveys conducted by Mauricio Abreu in 1989, the author managed to count 931 titles. Fourth, because of the prominence of the authors who have studied specific cities such as Josué de Castro in the 1940s; Milton Santos, since the 1950s; Aldo Paviani, Maria Adélia de Souza, and Mauricio Abreu since the 1980s and Ana FaniAlessandri Carlos from the 1990s. It is important to stress the continuity of Milton Santos’ publications in Brazil and abroad, which had an international impact.

1989 saw the start of the biennial National Symposia on Urban Geography—(Simpurbs), which in addition to bringing together researchers from the entire country with an interest in the topic, gave rise to the publication of books, journals, and annals, which comprise a record of the main specialised production over the course of 30 years. At the same time, the Urban Studies Group was created, which began to publish the Cidades journal in 2004, as well as two books in 2011 and 2013. With the annual meeting of the Urban Geography Commission of the IGU, held in Salvador in 2017, a process of expanding the participation in international events began.

The production of this chapter will be supported by Mauricio Abreu’s 1989 article; my book from 1999 and 2012; the article by Dantas and Silva (2018), in which the most cited works from 2005 to 2016 are listed; the most recent books published on websites, both individual and collective; as well as the collections resulting from the Simpurb events and the issues of the Cidades journal.

2 Pioneers in Brazilian Urban Geography

Recently, young researchers from Bahia, led by André Nunes de Souza, found the text “A Geografia das Cidades”, published in 1913, by Bernardino J. Souza, as a chapter of the book Por mares e terras (leiturasgeográficas), with several references to German authors, such as F. Ratzel, A. Hettner, K. Hassert et al., analysed by Wendel Henrique Baumgartner in the book authored by Souza and Vaz (2019).

After the publication of the text by Bernardino Souza, in addition to specific texts on Brazilian cities, commented below, other general studies on the urban topic, prepared by Brazilian geographers, can be highlighted, such as the book by Nice Lecocq Müller, O Fato Urbano na Bacia do Rio Paraíba, in (1960); Pedro P. Geiger’s Evolução da Rede Urbana Brasileira, in (1963); and, above all, the series of books published by Milton Santos, in Brazil and France, such as A Cidade nos Paises Subdesenvolvidos, in (1965); Aspects de la géographie et de l'économie urbaine des pays sous-développés, in 19,694; Dix essais sur les villes des pays sous-développés, in (1970); Les villes du Tiers Monde, in (1971); L´Espace partagé. Les deux citcuits de l´économie urbaine des pays sousdéveloppés, in (1975); Pobreza Urbana, in (1978); A urbanização desigual in (1980); Manual de Geografia Urbana, in (1981); Ensaios sobre a urbanização latino-americana in (1982) and A urbanização brasileira, in (1993). Likewise, the book authored by Speridião Faissol Tendências atuais na geografia urbano-regional: teorização e quantificação, in (1978), and the book Governo Urbano by Maria Adélia de Souza, in (1988), were also published. Therefore, in addition to the pioneering text by Bernardino de Souza, the 10 books published by Milton Santos on the city and urbanisation, in Portuguese and French, in addition to his doctoral thesis on Salvador in (1959), should be highlighted.

3 Brazilian Cities Analysed by Urban Geographers

Another possibility in terms of examining the production of Brazilian urban geography is to select important texts on the most studied cities (or metropolises).

São Paulo appears as the city with the highest number of publications and, at the same time, has the oldest text on a Brazilian city, written by historian and geographer Caio Prado Jr., with his article “O Fator Geográfico na Formaçâo e no Desenvolvimento da Cidade de São Paulo”, published in 1935, followed by Delgado de Carvalho’s text “A Cidade de São Paulo”, in (1954). Followed by that is the set of four volumes authored by Aroldo de Azevedo, A cidade de S. Paulo; Estudos de Geografia Urbana, written to commemorate the city’s fourth centenary and published in (1958). In 1963, Pasquale Petrone published Pinheiros: aspectos geográficos de um Bairro Paulistano, and in 1971, the book A Estruturação da Grande São Paulo was published by Juergen R. Langenbuch. In 1980, the book O Centro da Metrópole Paulistana, by Helena K. Cordeiro, was published. In 1989, the books A Identidade da Metrópole. A verticalização de São Paulo, by Maria Adélia A. de Souza and Metrópole Corporativa Fragmentada: o caso de São Paulo, by Milton Santos, were published. In 1994, the same author published the book Por uma economia política da cidade: o caso de São Paulo. In 1998, Maria Adélia published the book São Paulo. Ville mondiale et urbanisme français sous les tropiques in France. 2004 saw the publication of the two volumes authored by Ana Fani A. Carlos and Ariovaldo Umbelino de Oliveira, entitled Geografias de São Paulo: representação e crise da metrópole, which celebrates, at the time, the city’s 450th anniversary. Lastly, São Paulo appears in a comparative analysis by Silvia Aparecida Guarnieiri Ortigoza entitled Paisagens do consumo: São Paulo, Lisboa, Dubai e Seul, in (2010).

Brasília appears as the second city with the highest number of publications, especially considering the collections authored by Aldo Paviani: Brasília, Ideologia e Realidade: espaço urbano em questão (1985, 2010); Urbanização e Metropolização—A gestão dos conflitos em Brasília (1987); A Conquista da Cidade: movimentos populares em Brasília (1991, 1998, 2010); Brasília: moradia e exclusão (1996); Brasília—Gestão Urbana: conflitos e cidadania (1999, 2008), as well as together with other authors: Brasília: controvérsias ambientais (2003); Brasília: dimensões da violência urbana (2005, 2010); Brasília 50 anos: da capital a metrópole (2010), in addition to the author’s own book Brasília: a metrópole em crise—Ensaios sobre urbanização (1989, 2010). The book by José W. Vesentini A Capital da Geopolítica, which traverses between urban geography and political geography, was published in (1986).

Rio de Janeiro was the third most studied city. The text by Lysia M. C. Bernardes “Importância da posição como fator do desenvolvimento do Rio de Janeiro”, published in 1957–1958, initially stands out. It is followed by the book by Aluizio Capdeville Duarte A Área Central da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, published in (1967). In 1987, Mauricio Abreu published the book Evolução Urbana do Rio de Janeiro, followed by the books by the same author: Natureza e Sociedade no Rio de Janeiro, in (1992), and Rio de Janeiro: formas, movimentos, representações, in (2005). Lastly, in 2010 Mauricio Abreu published his magnum opus Geografia Histórica do Rio de Janeiro (1502–1700), in two volumes with more than 900 pages.

With regard to Salvador, there are three texts from the 1950s, Aroldo de Azevedo’s “Salvador et le Reconcavo de Bahia”, from 1951, Aziz N. Ab’Saber’s “A cidade de Salvador: Fotografias e Comentários”, from 1952, and the doctoral thesis by Milton Santos, published in (1959), O Centro da Cidade de Salvador. In 1961, Milton Santos authored the book Cidade do Salvador, which included the texts by Ab’Saber “O Sítio da Cidade do Salvador” and by Aroldo de Azevedo, “Fisionomia da Cidade do Salvador”. In 2002, the book Salvador: transformações e permanências (1549–1999), by Pedro de A. Vasconcelos, was published, with a 2nd expanded edition in (2016) and in (2005) Salvador de Bahia (Brésil) transformations et permanences (1549–2004) was published in France. Lastly, in (2014), the book by Jânio Santos A cidade poli(multi) nucleada: a reestruturação do espaço urbano de Salvador was published.

Recife was the subject of Josué de Castro’s thesis A Cidade de Recife: Ensaio de Geografia Urbana, published in 1948. In 1978, the book Metropolização e Sub Desenvolvimento. O caso de Recife, by Mário Lacerda de Melo, was published, and the following years was Recife: Problemática de uma Metrópole em uma Região Subdesenvolvida by Manuel Correa de Andrade. More recently, in (2007), the book by Edvânia T. A. Gomes Recortes de paisagens na cidade do Recife was published.

The city of Belém was studied by Antônio Penteado who in (1968) published Belém Estudo de Geografia Urbana, in two volumes. In (1997), Saint-Clair C. Trindade Jr. published the book Produção do Espaço e Uso do Solo Urbano de Belém and, in (2019), together with Veloso dos Santos, he authored the book O urbano e o metropolitano em Belém: (re) configurações socioespaciais e estratégias de planejamento e gestão.

Fortaleza was analysed by José Borzacchiello da Silva with the book Os incomodados não se retiram. Fortaleza em questão, from 1992 and by Eustógio Wanderley Dantas with the book Mar à Vista: estudo de maritimidade em Fortaleza, was published in 2002 and 2011.

With regard to Aracaju, there is the book Transformações do Espaço Urbano: o Caso de Aracaju by Neuza Maria G. Ribeiro, from 1989 and the book Aracaju: estado and metropolização, by Vera Lúcia A. França, published in (1999). Studies on Goiânia were published in the book authored by Lana de Souza Cavalcanti entitled Geografia da Cidade: a produção do espaço urbano de Goiânia, in (2001). Lastly, Manaus was historically analysed in the book by José Aldemir de Oliveira entitled Manaus de 1920–1967. A cidade doce e dura em excesso was published in (2003).

We can summarise this part by identifying a relationship between the sizes of the metropolises and the number of publications made by geographers. The scale would therefore go from São Paulo to Aracaju. Although São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are among the most studied metropolises, Brasília, thanks mainly to the texts published by Paviani, places the national capital in second place. On the other hand, the metropolises of the Northeast (Salvador, Recife, and Fortaleza) and the North (Belém) form a second block with a very similar number of publications. Lastly, the three smallest metropolises (Aracaju, Goiânia and Manaus) had a more limited number of studies.

4 The Production of Urban Geography Over the Last 30 years (1989–2021)

Given the enormous production in the subarea, especially considering the growth of postgraduate programmes, it is difficult to select the most outstanding books or the most productive colleagues with quality production. Priority was given to books, a tradition of the discipline, which had a national impact, despite the existence of articles of fundamental importance. Small books for dissemination of the subdiscipline or topical texts, such as housing and transport, will not be considered, in view of the text size.

The production of this more recent period was divided into three parts: individual production, co-production and collections, always following the chronological order: Ana Fani A. Carlos published the books A (Re) Produção do Espaço Urbano in (1994); followed by Espaço-Tempo na Metrópole, in 2001 and by O Espaço Urbano: novosescritos sobre a cidade, in 2004. Arlete M. Rodrigues published Produção e Consumo do e no Espaço. Problemática Ambiental Urbana, in (1998). Pedro de A. Vasconcelos published Dois Séculos de Pensamento sobre a Cidade (1999 and 2012) (in addition to two books regarding Salvador). Marcelo Lopes de Souza published the books O Desafio Metropolitano; um estudo sobre a problemática sócio-espacial nas metrópoles brasileiras, in (2000); Mudar a Cidade, in (2002); ABC do desenvolvimento urbano, in (2003); A Prisão e a Ágora: reflexões em torno da democratização do planejamento e gestão das cidades, in (2006) and Fobópole. O medo generalizado e a militarização da questão urbana, in 2008. José Aldemir de Oliveira published Cidades na Selva in (2000) (in addition to the book regarding Manaus). In 2002, Paulo César da Costa Gomes published the book A Condição Urbana; in (2005) Sidney G. Vieira published A Cidade Fragmentada and Roberto Lobato Corrêa the book Estudos sobre a Rede Urbana in (2006) (in addition to the books published in 1989). In 2007, Angelo Serpa published O espaço público na cidade contemporânea and Cidade Popular—Trama de relações sócio-espaciais (in addition to the book authored with Ana Fani A. Carlos regarding the Simpurb in Salvador, in 2018). In the same year, Álvaro H. de S. Ferreira published A Cidade no Século XXI and Maria Encarnação Beltrão Sposito Cidades Medias—Espaços em transição. In 2008, the books by Eliseu S. Sposito, Redes e Cidades and Marcio M. Valencia Cidade (I)Legal were published. Wendel Henrique published O Direito à Natureza na Cidade in 2015. Lastly, Sandra Lencioni published Metrópole, Metropolização e Regionalização in (2017).

With regard to co-authored books, in 2006 Heloisa S. de M. Costa, G. M. Costa, J. G. de Mendonça and R. L. de M. Monte-Mór published the book Novas Periferias Metropolitanas. In 2012, Eliseu Sposito published with Paulo F. J. Silva the book Cidades pequenas: perspectivas teóricas e transformações socioespaciais and in 2016 together with Maria Encarnação B. Sposito and Oscar Sobarzo the book Cidades médias. In 2008, Saint-Clair da Trindade Jr. and M. G. C. Tavares published Cidades ribeirinhas na Amazônia (in addition to a book regarding Belém and another co-authored book regarding the same city). Aldo Paviani wrote with Suely F. N. Gonzales and Jorge G. Francisconi Planejamento e Urbanismo na actualidade brasileira: objeto, teoria, prática in (2013) (in addition to the written book and collections regarding Brasília). In the same year, Maria Encarnaçâo Beltrâo Spósito, together with Eda Maria Gomes, published the book Espaços fechados e cidades.

In terms of the collections, also a tradition in geography, many were the results of events, such as the Simpurbs. Ana Fani authored the book Crise Urbana in 2015; and together with Carles Carreras authored Urbanização e mundializaçãi estudos sobre a metrópole in (2005); with Ariovaldo U. Oliveira, the book Geografias das metrópoles in 2006 (and another book regarding São Paulo in 2004); with Marcelo L. de Souza and Maria Encarnação B. Sposito, A produção do espaço urbano: agentes, processos, escalas e desafios in 2011; with Danilo Volochko and Isabel P. Alvarez, A cidade como negócio in 2015; with Glória Alves and Rafael F. de Padua, Justiça espacial e o direito à cidade in 2017; and with César S. Santos and Isabel P. Alvarez, Geografia Urbana Crítica. Teoria e Método in 2018 (in addition to the authored books regarding the Simpurbs, the first in São Paulo in 1989; the second with Amália Inês G. Lemos in 2003; and the book regarding Salvador in 2018 together with Angelo Serpa). Jan Bitoun authored the book Tipologia das cidades brasileiras e políticas territoriais in 2009. Arlete M. Rodrigues authored the book Estudos Urbanos in 2011. Pedro de A. Vasconcelos, together with Roberto L. Corrêa and Silvana M. Pintaudi, authored the book A cidade contemporânea: segregação espacial in (2013) (in addition to the book authored with Sylvio C. Bandeira de Melo e Silva regarding the Simpurb in Salvador in 1999). Sylvio C. Bandeira de M. e Silva co-authored with I. M. Carvalho, A. M. G Souza and G. Pereira, the book Metrópoles na atualidade brasileira: transformações, tensões e desafios na Região Metropolitana de Salvador in 2014, and together with I. M. Carvalho and G. C. Pereira, the book Transformações metropolitanas no século XXI. Bahia, Brasil e América Latina in 2016 (in addition to the book authored with Pedro de A. Vasconcelos regarding the Simpurb in Salvador in 1999). Maria Encarnação B. Sposito authored with Arthur M. Whitacker the book Cidade e Campo: relações e contradições entre urbano e rural in 2006, and with William R. da Silva Perspectivas da Urbanização. Reestruturação urbana e das cidades in 2017 (in addition to the authored book regarding the Simpurb in Presidente Prudente in 2001). Lastly, Álvaro H. de S. Ferreira authored with João Rua and Regina C. de Mattos the books Espaço e metropolização. Cotidiano e ação in (2017) and Metropolização do Espaço. Gestão territorial e relações urbano-rurais and Desafios da metropolização do espaço in 2019.

In the production of the last 30 years, Ana Fani A. Carlos can be highlighted for her high production of individual books, for her co-written books, and, above all, for those authored by her colleague, including the one regarding the first Simpurb. Marcelo Lopes de Souza presents a solid production of individual books. The collections were, to a large extent, the results of the Simpurbs, which are very representative of local leaders in urban geography.

5 The National Symposia on Urban Geography (Simpurbs)

The National Symposia on Urban Geography—Simpurb started in 1989 and continued biennially until 2019. The event scheduled for this year 2021 has been postponed to 2022 as a result of the current Pandemic. The dissemination of the events through the publication of 11 books, three journals and two annals should be highlighted. From the titles of the lectures and the round tables, it is possible to examine the topics of greatest interest in Brazilian urban geography over the last 30 years, as well as highlight the geographers who were invited to hold the lectures or those who were honoured throughout the 16 biennial events.

The I National Symposium on Urban Geography was held at the University of São Paulo—USP, in November 1989. Only in 1994 was the book Os caminhos da Reflexão sobre a Cidade e o Urbano, authored by Ana Fani A. Carlos, with the main results of the event are published. The book, with 390 pages, was not authored by round tables and has 14 chapters: we can highlight the 1st, which corresponds to the author’s presentation, “Rethinking Urban Geography: the Balance of a Symposium”; the 2nd, the text of the opening lecture by Milton Santos, entitled “Trends of Brazilian Urbanisation at the End of the XX Century”; and the 13th, with Mauricio Abreu’s extensive chapter “The Geographical Study of the City in Brazil: Evolution and Evaluation”, with a total of 123 pages and a bibliography with 931 texts. The book concluded with two statements: one by Pedro Geiger and one by Lysia Bernardes.

The II Symposium was held in October 1991 at the São Paulo State University (UNESP Rio Claro), São Paulo, and the main results were published, in the same year, in issue 42 of the Boletim de Geografia Teorética (Journal of Theoretical Geography), with all 262 pages dedicated to the event, and whose topic was “Rethinking the City and the Urban”. The journal begins with a tribute to the couple Lysia and Nilo Bernardes. The inaugural lecture was held by Roberto Lobato Corrêa, entitled “New geographical dimensions of the urban area in Brazil”. The results of six round tables were also published (Cities and Social Movements; The Daily Life of the Metropolis; The Urban Environment; Urban Geography: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives; Space and Modernity and City—Space and Time) in 130 pages. The texts of the talks were published on the remaining 113 pages.

The 3rd Symposium was held at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, in September 1993, whose main results were published in the respective Anais, with a total of 225 pages. They contain the results of five round tables (Matrices of Urban Geography; Networks, Flows and Territories; Geopolitics of the Urban Environment; Time and Space in Urban Daily Life and Urban Crisis and Urban Reform), in a total of 146 pages, while another 70 pages were dedicated to the five talk sessions. The lecture held by Fany Davidovich was not published in the event’s annals.

The 4th Symposium took place at the Federal University of Ceará, in Fortaleza, in October 1995, and resulted in the publication of the book A Cidade e o Urbano, authored by José Borzacchiello da Silva et al., in (1997) with 317 pages. The book begins with the text of the lecture by Pedro Geiger, “Geography and regional and urban development in Brazil” and is followed by the publication of texts presented in five round tables (Epistemologies of cities; Cities, metropolises, and megalopolises; Urban environment; Urban daily life and Urban development policies). The lectures by José Borzacchiello da Silva and Armando Correia da Silva, as well as the scientific talks, were not published in that book.

The 5th Symposium was held in Salvador, in October 1997, had about 250 participants and resulted in the publication of the book authored by Pedro de Almeida Vasconcelos and Sylvio Bandeira de Mello e Silva entitled Novos Estudos de Geografia Urbana Brasileira, in (1999), with 271 pages. The book begins with the text of the lecture by Maria Adélia de Souza “City: Place and Geography of Existence” and is followed by the texts of the five round tables (Matrices of urban geography; Geographical networks; Space, power and culture; Space and time in the urban and Socio-spatial dynamics and forms of intervention). With regard to the talks, only the texts of round tables with special talks were published.

The 6th Symposium, held at UNESP Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, in October 1999, resulted in the book authored by Maria Encarnação Beltrão Sposito, entitled Urbanização e Cidades: perspective as geográficas, published in (2001), with 643 pages. The seven parts of the book correspond to five round tables (The city in Brazil: transformations and permanence; Dilemmas of method: urbanisation and fragmentation; Social production of space and urban environmental issues; Cities and public policies: from planning to management and The urban network and its recent dynamics); to two open debate sessions on “The meaning of the city at the end of the XX century” and the last part was on “Medium-sized cities”. There was no lecture at the event, but Lea Goldstein was honoured.

The city of São Paulo and the University of São Paulo (USP) once again hosted the 7th Symposium in October 2001, which resulted in the publication of the book authored by Ana Fani Alessandri Carlos and Amália Inês Geraides Lemos, entitled Dilemas urbanos: novas abordagens sobre a cidade, published in 2003, with a total of 430 pages. The book is divided into seven chapters that correspond to the seven debate sessions (The problems of the city, the metropolis and the way of life, segregation, conflicts, strategies; Urban spatialities and temporalities; Culture and the city; Work in the city; Space and State: urban policies under discussion; The clash between environmental and social issues in the urban; The urban in the world of merchandise: introduction). The lecture held by French geographer Marcel Roncayolo was not published in the aforementioned book.

The 8th Symposium was held in Recife, at the Federal University of Pernambuco, in November 2003. The event featured the opening lecture by Ana Fani Alessandri Carlos; three discussion tables (Urban network; Urbanism/geography interface; and Management instruments—master plans—new features), seven round tables (Small- and medium-sized cities in different regional contexts; New forms of management: proximity in question; City centres: interventions, balances and perspectives; Urban peripheries, types and dynamics of expansion, agents and their transformations; Metropolises: between the global, the national and the local; Urban environmental risks; and Time, culture and space) and the closing lecture by Manuel Correia de Andrade. The V. I Anais were published in (2004), with a total of 228 pages, and did not follow the event’s structure, with 19 texts being chosen for publication.

In Manaus, the 9th Symposium was held at the Federal University of Amazonas, in 2005, and resulted in the publication of the book authored by José Aldemir de Oliveira entitled Cidades brasileiras: territorialidades, sustentabilidade e demandas sociais, in two volumes published in 2009 and 2010, totalling 930 pages. Texts presented in the round tables and coordinated talks were selected. In the first volume, with 359 pages, there are three parts: Part 1 (Central areas) includes the opening lecture given by Portuguese geographer Tereza Barata Salgueiro, “Mobility, new social demands and urban sustainability”; and is followed by Part 2 (Small cities) and Part 3 (City, space and time). The second volume, with 571 pages, is also divided into three parts: Part 1 (Management of the City); Part 2 (New and old topics of the city and the urban) and Part 3 (The space of metropolises). The text of the final lecture by French geographer Martine Droulers “Urbanisation, sustainable development in the Amazon” was not published.

The 10th Symposium was held at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Florianópolis, in November 2007, and resulted in the publication in 2011 of the book As cidades e a urbanização no Brasil: passado, presente e futuro, with 447 pages, authored by Elson Manoel Pereira and Leila Christina Duarte Dias. The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 (Future and present of cities and urbanisation in Brazil); Part 2 (Similarities and differences in the urbanisation process in Southern Brazil); and Part 3 (Trajectories of urban geography in Brazil), which bring together the discussions held in six round tables. Roberto Lobato Corrêa was honoured at the event.

The next symposium, the 11th, took place at the University of Brasília in September 2009, and its results were published in three issues of the Cidades journal, edited by Maria Encarnação Beltrão Sposito. Issue 10, “The city and the urban: a conceptual pursuit”, included the publication of the lecture by Ana Fani Alessandri Carlos entitled “The illusion of the transparency of space and blind faith in urban planning: the challenges of a critical urban geography”, as well as the texts presented at the round table “Current issues regarding the city and the urban: limits and possibilities in urban geography”. Issue 11, “Spatial forms and urban policy(ies)”, includes texts from the round tables entitled “Urban policy(ies): state versus social movements” and “New spatial forms and new urban roles”. In issue 12, “Urban Brazil: challenges and agendas”, the texts of the round tables entitled “Urban Brazil: challenges and agendas” and “The dynamics of administrative fragmentation of territory and urban land use laws: contradictions and conflicts” were published. Aldo Paviani was honoured at the event.

The 12th Symposium took place in Belo Horizonte, in November 2011, at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, with the title “Science and Utopia: for a geography of the possible”. The opening table featured a presentation by Sérgio Martins. The topics covered were as follows: Avatars from the world of merchandise; Urban operations aimed at mega sporting events; Right to the city as a utopia or just as “improving the city”; Reproduction of real estate capital in capitalist urbanisation; Urban and metropolitan restructuring of a reformist and circumstantial nature; and Culture and environmental issues in the city. The closing lecture was given by Amélia Damiani.

The 13th Symposium was held at the Rio de Janeiro State University in November 2013. It had 871 participants and resulted in the publication in 2014 of the book Geografia urbana: ciência e ação política, with 404 pages, authored by Floriano Godinho de Oliveira et al. The book, divided into five parts, begins with the publication of the lecture by Arlete Moysés Rodrigues “Science and political action: a critical approach”, followed by the closing lecture held by British geographer David Harvey. Part II, “The production of the urban: contemporary trends, conflicts and resistance in the urban space”, has five texts; Part III, “Urban economy, social inequalities and public policies” (also five texts); Part IV, “Information and communication in political and cultural practices in the production of the city” (seven texts), and Part V with the talk “Reflections on Geography and the Urban: a decalogue”, by the honouree at the event Pedro Geiger.

The 14th Symposium was again held in Fortaleza, at the Federal University of Ceará in September 2015, with the title of “Perspectives and Approaches to Urban Geography in the XXI Century”. The event began with an interview with two research group coordinators, Maria Encarnação Beltrão Sposito and Luiz Cesar de Queiroz Ribeiro. 12 texts presented at the event’s round tables were published in the special issue (Vol. 14, No. 4) of the bilingual journal Mercator, edited by EustógioWanderley Correia Dantas, also in 2015. Jan Bitoun, José Borzacchiello da Silva, and Pedro de Almeida Vasconcelos were honoured at the event.

Salvador returned to host the 15th Symposium at the Federal University of Bahia in November 2017, which resulted in the publication in 2018 of the book, authored by Angelo Serpa and Ana Fani Alessandri Carlos, entitled Geografia urbana: desafios teóricos contemporâneos, with 511 pages. The book is divided into seven parts, with the first six corresponding to the round tables: Thinking about the city and the urban today: interdisciplinary dialogue in the field of human and social sciences; The future of the city: urban policy or utopian project?; Production of the urban and the city in the era of financialisation; Specificities of the city and the urban in Brazil; The spatiotemporal scales of the urban; and Which theories to understand the city and the urban in this century? (Contribution of geography) and a special table: Theoretical contributions to urban research: Milton Santos, Maurício Abreu, Neil Smith, and Edward Soja.

The 16th Symposium was held in Vitória, at the Federal University of Espírito Santo, in November 2019. The results of the event were published in 2020 in the book Geografia Urbana: cidades, revoluções e injustiças: entre espaços privados, públicos, direito à cidade e comuns urbanos, authored by Ana Maria L. de Barros, Claudio L. Zanotelli and Vivian Albani. The seven parts of the book correspond to the event’s seven round tables: Cities and revolutions. Public spaces, urban common areas and social networks: interdisciplinary dialogue in the field of urban and social studies; Practices, utopias, dystopias and heterotopias in and of cities in the global North and South: what similarities, what differences?; Scales, cultures and decoloniality: new perspectives in urban geography; Fragmentation, segregation, violence and urbicide in Brazilian cities; Production of space, the city and the urban and the new international financial order: unity of social and environmental issues; Urban and regional economy and migrations; and Urban Geopolitics in Contemporary Latin America: dispute of the common areas.

Lastly, the XVII National Symposium on Urban Geography, entitled “The production of the urban and the urgency of the transforming praxis: theories, practices and utopias in the midst of a convulsed world”, which was scheduled to be held in October of this year at the Federal University of Paraná, in Curitiba, was postponed to 2022 due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic.

The event titles themselves show us the dominant trends in each period: the first event, in 1989, in São Paulo, dealt with “Paths of reflection” on both the “city” and the “urban”, indicating a significant theoretical concern, while the 2019 event, “Cities, revolutions and injustices”, indicates a strong political concern. With regard to the titles of the round tables, since the book of the first event was not authored by tables, in the second event, in 1991, in Rio Claro, we found tables dealing with “Social Movements”, “Daily Life” and “Urban Environment”, while in the event in the city of Vitória in 2019, new topics appear such as “deconiality”, “urbicide” and “common areas”, confirming the topics that have come to dominate the debate in Brazilian urban geography.

6 The Cidades Journal

The Cidades journal was founded by the Urban Studies Group (GEU), which initially comprised geographers Ana Fani Alessandri Carlos, Jan Bitoun, Maria Encarnaçâo Spósito (1st editor), Mauricio de Almeida Abreu, Pedro de Almeida Vasconcelos, Roberto Lobato Corrêa and Silvana Maria Pintaudi (2nd editor). Issue 1 dates from 2004. Up to issue 15 (2012) the journal was published on paper. Then, it began to be published only virtually. The last published issue was issue 22, dated 2016.

The topical issues from 2007 onwards which inform of the topics of interest in the period should be highlighted: Differentiation and inequalities (No. 6, 2007); Images of the city (No. 7, 2008); The Urbanisation of society (No. 8, 2008); Social activism and urban space (No. 9, 2009); The city and the urban: a conceptual pursuit (No. 10, 2009); Spatial forms and urban policy(ies) (No. 11, 2010); Urban Brazil: challenges and agendas (No. 12, 2010); The city and the party (No. 13, 2011)17; Mauricio de Almeida Abreu (No. 14, 2011)18; Libertarian thought and praxis and the City (No. 15, 2012); The Production of Urban Space. The Meaning of Public Policies (No. 16, 2012); Microterritorialities in cities (No. 17, 2013); Trade and consumption in the contemporary city (No. 18, 2013); Extreme processes in the formation of the city [from crisis to the emergence of contemporary spaces] (No. 19, 2014); Readings on the City (No. 20, 2015); Diffuse Urbanisation and the Disperse City (No. 21, 2015) and Justice and Law: a debate on the urban (No. 22, 2016). The topics also begin dealing with issues of differentiation and inequalities, and end in the last issue, with issues of Justice and Law, which have a certain affinity.

7 Conclusions

Brazilian urban geography, in addition to its importance in relation to other subdisciplines, has a long tradition in Brazil, with emphasis being placed on the pioneering text by Bernardino José de Souza on the topic in 1913, greatly anticipating the production of the first professional geographers in the 1930s. Individually, we can highlight the production, in the initial period, of Milton Santos, the Brazilian geographer with the greatest international impact, and, in the current period, the extensive production of the geographer Ana Fani A. Carlos.

Both the National Symposia on Urban Geography—the Simpurbs over the last 30 years, and the Cidades journal—have allowed us to follow the topics highlighted over time in the subdiscipline. The most recurrent topics in the Simpurbs’ round tables were as follows: issues of time and space (nine tables), followed by environmental issues (seven tables), urban policies and management and theoretical and methodological issues (six tables each). The openness to international issues in the last event in 2017 can also be highlighted, such as the discussion on cities in the North and South, as well as those in Latin America and the debate on decoloniality. In a shorter period (2004/2016), the Cidades journal brought specific topics not highlighted in the Symposia, such as the city and the party, microterritorialities, commerce and consumption, and diffuse urbanisation. Lastly, we detected topics that have been relatively under-addressed in the events and beforehand, such as the urban economy and migrations, which were re-addressed in the last event of 2019.

As a whole, geographers initially studied the main Brazilian cities empirically and then moved on to an eminently theoretical discussion, on very diverse topics, and there is, therefore, no hegemonic thinking in current times.