The connection between the depopulation of localiti es and passenger rail services in the Province of Buen os Aires in Argentina between 1960 and 2009

Abstract

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Between 1960 and 2001 there were two processes that drew the interest of some social researchers in Argentina. On the one hand there was a process of rural depopulation from localities in the province of Buenos Aires (similar to the process of urbanization across Latin America). On the other hand, there was the break up of the railways that led to the cessation of passenger services to hundreds of localities inside the province of Buenos Aires. This study compares the two variables -localities in the interior of the province of Buenos Aires that lost population and railway lines which recorded decrease in the provision of passenger transport services. Census data and rail traffic between 1960 and 2009 are used. This crosses a quantitative methodology with concepts that the geographer Milton Santos has proposed. Maps are generated to look for any correspondence between these variables. Finally the concept of lag is applied to observe possible temporal relationships between variables. The results represent a first approach to a subject that has never been addressed with this methodology and analysis tool, verifying that it is necessary to incorporate more data to facilitate further analysis.