Tendencias recientes del crecimiento metropolitano en Santiago de Chile. ¿Hacia una nueva geografía urbana?

Abstract

Given the context of widespread urban development observed in most parts of the world, this paper aims to examine whether this trend has manifested itself in the growth of the Metropolitan Urban System of Santiago (SUMS). The authors analyzed the main trends observed over the last two decades, with particular attention to urban sprawl and the recovery of growth in the central area of Santiago. The information analyzed leads to the conclusion that the dominant trend of urban growth is still the expansion of the SUMS; it is also concluded that there is a recovery of some of the central municipalities. These are complex phenomena in which territorial dispersion and re-centralization are complementary to each other and characterized by unequal urban development patterns.