ABSTRACT
Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean show development processes that can be described as an urban contradiction triad: socio-residential segregation, territorial inequality and spatial injustice, and urban fragmentation. They represent a contradiction because their sole existence goes against the very meaning of cities: a space of integration, opportunity, and collaboration among their residents. Contrary to what is normally believed, these characteristics did not emerge in the last few decades as consequences of the neoliberal economic model (although it enhanced them) but emerged and have interacted since colonial times. The presence of these characteristics has defined the development of cities in the region, and they will continue to do so in the future, although they can be strengthened by climate change, the post-pandemic era, and the fourth industrial revolution. Recognizing this geo-historical dimension, in this chapter, we describe each of the processes, giving specific examples of how they are present in different cities and make projections of how this triad may evolve in Latin America and the Caribbean in the next decades.
