CITIES THAT ARE LOSING INHABITANTS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE BRAZILIAN REALITY
Purpose: This article identifies the Brazilian cities that showed urban decline in the period between 1970 and 2010 based on the country's official census conducted by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). Based on this identification, analysis of the behaviors presented by the cities with population loss allows separate them according to the two theories that explain the loss of population: life cycle and persistent decline. Methodology: The article compares the Brazilian situation with countries from other continents, namely Europe, which also showed population decline in the cities. Findings: The results show a diversity of situations, whereby the population decline of cities is not a generalized phenomenon nor inevitable. Implication: This analysis allows the discussion about whether the loss of inhabitants in some cities is an inevitable part of a country's development process in the sense that as countries increase their development indices also increases the number of cities with population loss. Originality: This paper provides a comprehensive portrait of the lost of inhabitants in the Brazilian cities. The article is the first to analyze the population trajectory of all Brazilian cities, covering a period of four decades.