Paths Taken in a Design Methodology for the Study of Social (In)Equalities and Spatial (Im)Balances. An Application to Xalapa (Mexico)

Abstract

Cities are the most human, complex and dynamic spaces. Thus, the interest in researching them is diverse and multidisciplinar. From the point of view of social sciences, one of its challenges is to get to know the characteristics of the people that inhabit the cities; if there is a relationship between both, the people and the urban shape, and between the content and the container. For this purpose, quantitative research is vital during the first approach. Qualitative research is possible and its success depends on the access to data of detailed population characteristics, and if these characteristics can be observed, mapped, to a detailed and versatile scale according to the feeling of belongingness towards the place. In this sense, the results of the MexicanCensus of Population and Housing, 2010 provide a rich reference material that has been used in the present work, using a methodological proposal, as experienced in other areas. This paper seeks an approach to socio imbalances that stress the urban areas, approaching those in this case have the backdrop of the Mexican city of Xalapa (Veracruz State).