Friday, March 25, 2011

Inequality and Urban Shrinkage: A Close Relationship in Latin America

by Sergio Torres Moraes

The territorial dynamics of Latin American cities cannot be understood without considering their unique context: enormous socio-economic inequality generated by a long history of historic economic and political processes that have maintained a strikingly large gap between rich and poor over the majority of Latin America’s modern history.
This study starts with a brief overview of the history and current socioeconomic context of Latin America, and specifically Brazil. Brazilian territorial dynamics as well as new urban land policies recently established to fight inequality within cities also are mentioned. The paper aims to point out how inequality might specifically have influenced population mobility and urban morphology in Brazil. Afterward, I illustrate how shrinkage happens in Brazil with two case studies.


A part of one of suburbs of Sao Paolo, Brazil, by Fernando Stankuns


more posts about Latin America:

A Car Becomes a Weapon in Brazil; Pedestrians Shortchanged in Detroit

MEXICO: Capital Badly in Need of Urban Regeneration

Brasilia, Brazil: economic and social costs of dispersion

Skyline photos of Buenos Aires, Argentina 1

1 comment:

  1. With the concept of urban wilderness, nature should be managed in a new manner and the possibilities for the conservation of urban nature be extended.

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