Urban reconfiguration of mid-sized mexican cities in the Latin American context. The case of Metepec, Mexico

Abstract

Cities have experienced strong social-spatial transformations in the past decades as a result of global changes that modify traditional ways of understanding and socializing urban spaces. This article addresses the social-spatial elitization and change processes within the Municipality of Metepec, Mexico, belonging to the Metropolitan Area of Toluca (ZMT), the growth of with is strongly Linked to the Metropolitan Area of the Mexican Valley (ZMVM), the Largest in Latin America. The findings show how global change processes, including gentrification of urban peripheries, burst in in a traditionally farming and artisanal Local space, developing strong transformation within it and greater social-spatial segregation. Finally, the article helps understand the current reconfiguration of mid-sized Mexican cities within the Latin American context.