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The metropolization phenomenon was increased in the last decades in the Latin American middle cities. Traditionally the metropolitan area is delimited by its political structure, each peripheral locality immersed in these geographical areas show dissimilar socioeconomic characteristics depending on their location, that is to say, with own characteristics of gravitation. Therefore, this paper presents a discussion of some international methodologies in the definition of metropolitan areas and proposes a probabilistic model approach to choose the most influential localities in its suburbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban freight transport has gained increasingly importance in today's world, where not only its contribution to the economic and social dynamics has been recognized, but also its negative externalities such as traffic congestion, energy consumption, pollution and road accidents. The aim of this paper is to globally evaluate the urban freight transport system within the metropolitan area of Queretaro (Mexico), particularly in relation with the public policies. The research puts into context the transport of goods in cities and the methodological efforts looking at assessing or monitoring of its effects. In the experimental aspect, this work introduces a new method together with its use in the geographical area of study. Results show a deficient performance in relation with the fulfillment of the proposed index concerning the international practices, mainly due to a lack of problem awareness on the part of national and local authorities. It is concluded that this method can serve as an aid to public administrations in diagnosing and intervening, on the basis of a paradigmatic shift in the way the problem is faced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]