Las ciudades son espacios estratégicos para que las sociedades de América Latina y el Caribe puedan transitar hacia el desarrollo sostenible. Se estima que más del 80% de la población de la región es urbana, y las ciudades del continente concentran el poder económico, político y administrativo. La explosión demográfica de las décadas anteriores llevó a una urbanización más bien espontánea, regida por mecanismos de mercado, y produjo territorios urbanos muy desiguales y frágiles desde el punto de vista ambiental, sin planificación ni visión de largo plazo. Actualmente, el crecimiento de las zonas metropolitanas se ha desacelerado y la nueva tendencia es el crecimiento a un ritmo más elevado de las ciudades intermedias. Se da una verdadera oportunidad para planificar de forma adecuada un desarrollo urbano más sostenible en el marco de la Nueva Agenda Urbana aprobada en Quito en el marco de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Vivienda y el Desarrollo Urbano Sostenible (Hábitat III). El documento ofrece una mirada integral sobre las ciudades, incluidos los aspectos sociales, económicos, ambientales y de gobernanza, para que los responsables de la toma de decisiones, el sector académico y el público en general puedan conocer las tendencias actuales de la urbanización en la región y descubrir la oportunidad que existe hoy en día para planificar las ciudades y avanzar hacia el desarrollo sostenible.

El proyecto se enmarca dentro de una de las áreas temáticas de la CEPAL y la División de Desarrollo sostenible y Asentamientos Humanos, que se refiere al diseño de políticas e instrumentos institucionales, metodológicos y financieros que puedan mejorar la gestión del hábitat en el ámbito regional, nacional y subnacional.

COMPANION TO URBAN AND REGIONAL STUDIES Indispensable overview and timely coverage of the major issues, debates, and research topics in urban and regional studies Companion to Urban and Regional Studies offers an up-to-date view of the rapidly growing field, exploring a diversity of theoretical perspectives, current and emerging research, and critical global policy concerns. Uniquely broad in geographical and thematic scope, this comprehensive volume brings together essays by more than fifty international scholars and researchers to provide expert assessments spanning the many dimensions of urban studies. Organized into five parts, the Companion begins with a review of the current state of cities across East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America, Europe, and Latin America, and all other world regions. Subsequent sections discuss contemporary theoretical perspectives, describe common methodological approaches used by urban scholars, and examine the political, social, and economic problems facing twenty-first century cities. Covering historical issues, current challenges, and comparative perspectives in urban studies, this timely resource: Addresses intensely debated policy issues such as governance, housing, immigration and migration, segregation, social mix, and gentrification Describes the use of demographic methods, advanced spatial analysis, social networks, policy mobilities, and ethnographies in urban studies research Discusses critical urban theory, feminist urban research, urbanization and environmental change, and the legacy of the Chicago School Covers contemporary research topics such as urban and regional inequalities, social heterogeneity and diversity, financialization Includes representative case studies of each region, including Australasia, Latin America, East Asia and South Asia Companion to Urban and Regional Studies is essential reading for scholars, researchers, practitioners, urban activists, and students, and it represents a must-have complement to The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies.

This volume explores several notable themes related to social, political, and religious movements in Latin America and offers insightful historical perspectives to understand national, regional, and global issues from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day. This volume’s collected chapters focus on the Latin American society and are divided into three sections. The first section, Social, presents some cultural, demographic, and urban changes that have occurred with increasing frequency in Latin America from the early twentieth century onward. The second section, Political, shows migratory, political, and identity movements that in recent decades have re-emerged with force. Finally, the third section, Religious, analyzes various Latin American religious visions with their particular characteristics. From the religious hegemony of Catholicism, a change in the religious panorama in the last decades can be seen intermingled with politics, history, and society.