Hypersegregation of the Brazilian metropolitan elites in the 2000s: interpretations based on the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region

Abstract This article presents some results of the comparison of the socio-spatial structure of the 15 main metropolitan regions of Brazil and their evolution between 2000 and 2010. The analysis focuses primarily on the concentration of high status groups in the so-called “upper spaces” of these metropolises, leading to their hypersegregation. Explanatory hypotheses for this process are produced through the specific analysis of the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region, whose social composition is very close to the average composition of the 15 studied metropolitan regions and for which there are specific data on real estate dynamics, quality of life index and residential mobility. The historic attractiveness of the central areas was intensified during the 2000s, maintaining them as the preferred location for high-quality real estate investments.