Potential to attract people weighted by economic factors

In this study, we address the modification of Newton’s gravity model to explain the potential to attract people between cities. The variables introduced as a weighting factor were of economic nature, as follows: Gross Value Added at Basic Prices in Industrial Activity, Gross Value Added at Basic Prices in Services Activity, Gross Value Added at Basic Prices in Agricultural Activity. We tested the modified model in an experiment developed in the area of the Second Paraná Plateau, State of Paraná, Brazil, with the purpose of investigating the regional economic dynamics by means of the flow of passengers in intercity public transportation in the region. The addition of the weighting factor to the original gravity model provided a better fit concerning to the measured statistics and facilitated the interpretation of results. We concluded that the greater the centrality of the weighting factor, the greater the potential to attract people. Among the weighting factors that make up the local economic activities, the Gross Value Added at Basic Prices in Industrial Activity provided the greatest potential to attract people in the cities of the Second Paraná Plateau. The proposed model is an important tool for developing leading strategies for the cities.