Viedma-Patagones

The Viedma-Patagones region is a medium-sized urban agglomeration formed by the cities of Viedma (capital of the province of Río Negro) and Carmen de Patagones (the southernmost town in the province of Buenos Aires). Both cities are separated by the Negro River and joined by two bridges, one road, and one rail (the only one in the world still in use). Viedma is an important administrative center in the region. Its regional centrality is also linked to intensive forage and horticultural and fruit production, which takes place in the Lower Valley of the Río Negro (also called the IDEVI valley). In 2010, the region presents a very favorable relative situation concerning the total of the country´s departments. It presents a low rate of population with incomplete primary school (DBCP), high rate of population with complete university, low infant mortality rate (IMR), medium-low rate of population without social security (PWHI), low rate of housing with lack of exclusive use of bathroom (LOEUOT), and medium-low overcrowding, which, added to the positive environmental indicators (SRR, NRR, and EP), defines an outstanding quality of life score by being located in quartile 1. However, they exhibit material and social asymmetries concerning education, health, housing, and the environment, and their quality of life worsens as they move away from the coastal zone toward the periphery.