Diversity in urban sprawl: Morphology of residential areas in peri-urban Greater Mendoza

Abstract

How are the peri-urban residential areas of medium-size Latin American cities developing? How can the frequently subtle differences between some forms of growth characterized by their fragmentation, dispersion and low density, be defined? This research developed a spatial analysis methodology that assessed the residential expansion of Mendoza, Argentina between 1986 and 2010. Mendoza and its metropolitan area have followed a diffuse city model characteristic of medium-size Latin American cities, expanding towards the peri-urban area with the help of favorable socio-economic conditions in the period studied. The analysis defined morphological units associated with variables that made it possible through statistical analysis to characterize these new forms of growth. The results show development based on small isolated nuclei that are low in density and residential in use. Slight differences in certain aspects enabled the identification of six different models: the local unit, the large unit, the gated community, the semi-gated community, the vertical gated community and the country unit. These differences shed light on the success of the units as urban spaces capable of connecting with their surroundings and attracting urban facilities.