ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with the role of cities in globalisation and the specificities for Latin American cities. It presents how Latin American cities are doing in economic and sustainable urban competitiveness in a context of continuous economic, political, social, cultural and environmental changes, technological development, and innovation. Latin American and Caribbean cities are involved in the process of globalisation, taking part in the internationalisation of companies, processes, and changes in economic, social, political, and environmental aspects. The development of cities has been divided into various stages according to changes in population quantity, rates of growth, and economic activities. A successful city has the capacity to manage social, cultural, and political resources to create and maintain economic development trough time. Governments have to be innovative in terms of design and implementation of strategies to improve the quality of life and decrease the negative impacts of high concentrations of people and economic activities.