ABSTRACT
The recent decades have been characterized by the increasingly prominent role of cities on different scales. They have also been typified by contradictory realities: the maturing of the urbanization process, the deceleration of demographic growth, the concentration of the most important functions in big cities, the growing importance of intermediate cities, an increase in spatial dynamics, and the generalization of urban sprawl and urban areas. From the perspective of urban space, there is growing concern about ecological transition, environmental impacts, and sustainability, given social imbalances and the diversification and integration of different sectors of cities. These processes are also common in Latin American and Caribbean cities, which are among the most urbanized regions in the world. The structural change of this subcontinent in the 20th century is the result of migratory processes, segmentation and shifts in labor markets, large-scale forms of socio-spatial segregation, and the predominance of informal/irregular channels of access to housing and land. However, the 21st century presents new urban circumstances. In this chapter, we discuss: a) the specific characteristics of urban growth, with a special focus on heterogeneity between countries and urban agglomeration scales; b) the increasing prominence of intermediate cities; and c) the metropolitization process and governance at the urban level in recent decades.
