This article discusses how the dynamics of globalization and its aftermath have affected the social economic configuration of Brazilian metropolitan areas, with particular emphasis on the case of Salvador. Following a brief survey of the relevant literature on the subject, the paper links the spatial and urban reconfiguration of the Brazilian metropolitan areas with the historical heritage of the urbanization process, the differentiation of the urban and metropolitan network and the spatial and social effects of recent national policies toward a greater integration with the new international order. The paper compares the recent trends of the socio-economic changes in Salvador with those of other Brazilian metropolises, and concludes that they are not significantly different in spite of a stronger adverse social impact due to local social conditions.
metropolitan area; productive restructuring; urban social structure; employment and unemployment