Global Change and Urbanization in Latin America

U rbanization in developing countries is linked to social, economic, political, and environmental forces at a variety of geographic scales. Transformations taking place around the world, including the growth of multinational corporations, the spread of global communications networks, and the increase in international labor migration flows, have a profound impact on the process of urbanization at the global scale as well as at the local and individual levels. This module focuses on the urbanization process in Latin America with the aim of unraveling some of the interconnected forces that drive urbanization in these countries. We consider the causes and effects of rapid urban change in Latin America, especially the macroforces producing change in the countryside that impel people to move to cities. The module also explores how and why select groups experience the urbanization process differently.

The module begins by exploring the spatial patterns and temporal trends in urbanization, particularly within Latin America. Students investigate the role played by Latin American countries as global change transforms the international economic, environmental, social, and political arenas; rural-to-urban migration surfaces as a major driving force of rapid urbanization. The second unit focuses on the numerous push and pull factors driving rural-to-urban migration and examines how these forces are interconnected at a variety of geographic scales. Students investigate the impact of structural forces, including the International Monetary Fund debt crisis, as well as technological changes transforming agriculture and natural resource use. A common theme throughout the module is the exploration of how these global processes manifest themselves at the local level. Unit 2 emphasizes the local impact of global forces and in doing so explores the decisions of individuals to move, gender issues, and the concerns of native peoples. The final unit includes discussion and activities addressing the impact of rapid urbanization on the quality of life in the urban environment; it considers issues of homelessness and informal shelter, the informal work sector, and poverty.

The module activities range from role playing and debates to creating television newscasts and thematic maps. Activities call on students to interpret and analyze a wide range of material including such sources as newspaper and journal articles, personal accounts of recent immigrants, films, maps, and/or numerical data. Activities involving research tasks are structured so that students can make use of either traditional library resources or the Internet and World Wide Web. Some activities ask students to work independently on creative writing assignments, but many others involve team work in small groups or open class discussions. The activities are designed to guide students in actively developing a wide range of skills including: (1) careful interpretation of documents, maps, reports, films, and statistical information, (2) synthesizing and displaying information in a presentation, (3) creating maps to convey information, (4) working cooperatively in group projects and engaging in group discussions, and (5) role identification and play.