The vicious circle of social segregation and spatial fragmentation in Costa Rica's Greater Metropolitan Area

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.216292206068

• Palavras-chave: Citizen security / Right to the city / Rural development / Rurban hybrid / Social segregation / Spatial fragmentation / Spatial justice / Sustainable cities / Urban development / Urban sustainability

• Keywords: Citizen security / Right to the city / Rural development / Rurban hybrid / Social segregation / Spatial fragmentation / Spatial justice / Sustainable cities / Urban development / Urban sustainability

• Abstract:

  In Costa Rica around three quarters of the national population is living in urban areas, the majority of which is located in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM). The GAM is composed of four historic cities and their respective peripheries, which in recent decades have started growing together in a seemingly random collage of urban, suburban and rural typologies. A separation of functions on territorial scale has led to social, economic and environmental concerns. The spatial fragmentation is a reflection of the social segregation within society and at the same time increases it. This vicious circle forms a downward spiral of the quality of life in cities, which forces local governments, in collaboration with the inhabitants and the private sector, to search for more adequate and just models of living together.

• Número de páginas: 12