Criteria for the Delimitation of the Urban Fringe of Latin American Cities: A Review from the Global South

Angelica Pino (), Javier Martínez and Michael Alfaro
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Angelica Pino: Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa 04000, Peru
Javier Martínez: Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management, University of Twente, 7522 NH Enschede, The Netherlands
Michael Alfaro: Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa 04000, Peru

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-34

Abstract: In recent years, the intense urbanisation processes in Latin American cities have generated fragmented landscapes in the transition zones between urban and rural areas. There is growing interest among urban planners in the delimitation and management of the urban fringe due to the challenges these areas face, including the accelerated conversion of agricultural land, the loss of biodiversity, ecosystem fragmentation, and increasing socioeconomic inequalities resulting from limited regulation in Latin American cities. This study aims to identify criteria for the delimitation of the urban fringe in Latin American cities, oriented toward policy development and the creation of new management tools. A three-stage mixed-method approach was used, i.e., (1) a structured literature review following the PRISMA protocol, identifying 58 criteria from Global South studies, grouped into seven thematic categories; (2) a qualitative analysis using the SMART methodology to identify feasible criteria; and (3) a survey of 19 Latin American experts to prioritise criteria based on data availability and spatial comparability in the region’s cities. The results reveal a growing concern regarding the conceptual development of the urban fringe in Latin America. Methodological gaps persist in the delimitation of these areas. The final catalogue of criteria shows a trend toward measurable and comparable criteria and highlights the need to approach the urban fringe from a multidimensional perspective, which could facilitate its integration into comparative studies at the regional scale.

Keywords: urban fringe; peri-urban; delimitation criteria; urban development; land use change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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