Growth of Cities & Urban Regions in Latin America
Comparative Urban Politics:Pl.Sc. 422
Pre-Colombian Cities & Architecture
Tenochtitlan
Spanish Colonial Cities/Built Environment of Mexico City
Cartagena: Key to the Spanish Caribbean
Man-made Destruction in Spanish Colonial Empire:
19th Century
Political infrastructure destroyed in the struggle for independence
Looting and burning in the major colonial cities
Early nation-building: More destruction
Argentina’s first gauchos, or cowboys, were cavalrymen who fought in the civil wars that scourged the country for almost 50 years after independce
Caracas: A Case Study of Urban Destruction
Earthquake and sack by Spanish troops devastates the city
Fifty years of independence: destruction continuesConservative interlude (1830’s to 50’s) Liberal – Conservative clash in the
1850’s/1860’sBuilt environment modernized (1880’s
Census of 1890 – Caracas regain the population it had in census of 1810 (50,00)
Contemporary Caracas
BRAZIL in SOUTH AMERICA
Cities of Brazil: Early Development
Colonial pattern resembled British Colonies of North America
Northeast Brazil as the heart of Colonial BrasilRecifeSalvador
Cities of Brazil: Early Development
Shift to Rio de Janeiro1763 – capital
relocated to Rio de Janeiro
Transfer of Portuguese court consolidates primacy of Rio
Rio functions as primate city until the early twentieth century
Colonial built environment: government buildings in Rio
National Cities of Brazil: Twentieth Century
Emergence of São Paulo as the country’s largest and wealthiest city
Rio continues to exert national influence CultureTourismState corporations
Belo Horizonte becomes a national urban center
Cities of Brazil: Twentieth Century
Porto Alegre and Curitiba emerge as regionally important cities in the South
Northeast grows at slower rateSalvador – regional
metropolisRecife – regional
metropolisFortaleza – regional
metropolis Transfer of capital to
Brasilia in 1960
LATIN AMERICA: FROM A RURAL TO AN URBAN
SOCIETY
1960 less that 50% of Latin Americans lived in cities
Plummeting death rates and unchanged fertility rates lead to dramatic increase in migration to the large cities
Most cities provided employment, housing, transportation and basic health services
SHAPE OF THE CITYShare basic similarity at their inception
Council of Indies sets Spanish American patternOverseas Council sets Brazilian patternUrban life centers on the plaza
Pattern of expansion has been similarPart of international production systemDevelopment pathInternationalization of consumer tasteInformal sector everywhere
Urban Primacy: Dominant Pattern First city much larger than any other
city in the countryPolitical centerEconomic centerCultural center
Buenos Aires and Lima ten times larger than the second city
Brazil city system: continental in scopeColombia: Bogotá not yet a primate city
Map
GROWTH OF THE LATIN AMERICAN MEGACITIES
Mexico City and São Paulo approach twenty million
Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires exceed approach 14 million
Lima and Bogotá surpass 7 million