Location of Shops and Services: A Local Perspective on Accessibility in Southern Brazil

Urban accessibility strongly influences the spatial distribution of economic activities and supports planning aimed at territorial equity. This study examines the location of shops and services in Laranjal, Pelotas (Brazil), using accessibility measured by closeness centrality. The methodology integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS), urban configurational models, graph theory, and spatial statistics. The road network was modeled in QGIS with differentiated impedance values, and land use data were aggregated along road axes. Binary logistic regression and Moran's I were applied to assess the relationship between accessibility and economic activities. Results show that accessibility significantly shapes commercial and service concentration, with clusters along main roads and near the beachfront, while peripheral areas remain underused. These findings emphasize accessibility as a key structuring factor in socio‐spatial organization and offer insights for urban planning, particularly in peripheral areas where development depends on connectivity and infrastructure.