Well-being and territory in towns of Buenos Aires province, Argentine (2010)

Abstract

In Argentine geography there is an important academic production about quality of life and well-being, developed at different scales of analysis, such as provinces, districts/departments or census radii. The aim of this article is to analyze the well-being of the population living in small and large towns in the province of Buenos Aires in 2010 and to explore its association with other variables, such as the annual rate of intercensal growth and accessibility to a city of 50,000 inhabitants or more. For the measurement of well-being, the main source of data is the 2010 National Census of Population, Households and Housing. Added to this is the report prepared by the National Ombudsman (2010) and SINAGIR (2018). These have been the input for obtaining an index of well-being of the peoples of Buenos Aires (IBPB) through the application of quantitative techniques. In addition, a Geographic Information System has been used for the construction of thematic cartography and spatial analysis. The results show marked inequalities, but with a predominance of villages in intermediate situations. The existence of a medium statistical link between the level of well-being and the annual growth rate has been noted, but a high connection with travel time to a city of 50,000 inhabitants or more, defining the worst conditions in localities with less accessibility.