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: 19 th 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 continues Conservative interlude (1830’s to 50’s) Liberal – Conservative clash in the 1850’s/1860’s Built 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 Brasil Recife Salvador

Cities of Brazil: Early Development Shift to Rio de Janeiro 1763 – 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 Culture Tourism State 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 rate Salvador – regional metropolis Recife – regional metropolis Fortaleza – 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 CITY Share basic similarity at their inception Council of Indies sets Spanish American pattern Overseas Council sets Brazilian pattern Urban life centers on the plaza Pattern of expansion has been similar Part of international production system Development path Internationalization of consumer taste Informal sector everywhere

Urban Primacy: Dominant Pattern First city much larger than any other city in the country Political center Economic center Cultural center Buenos Aires and Lima ten times larger than the second city Brazil city system: continental in scope Colombia: 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