Dynamics of urban expansion in the city of Colima

Abstract

The exponential growth of cities in various regions of Latin America has brought with it the irregular growth of cities, involving socio-economic factors, and the irregular appropriation of land outside cities due to an unregulated real estate market. Something similar happens in Mexico, population growth forces cities to offer rarely regulated settlement spaces. In the city of Colima, Mex., where an exponential growth of the city toward the northern periphery has been seen, occupying agricultural lands, which are offered by the real estate market as “residential and country” type lands.  The main objective is to analyze the dynamics of land occupation, as well as the dynamics of area available from urban reserves, taking as a reference the Urban Development Program (PDU). However, the lack of updating of the program has led to the disorderly occupation of territorial reserves. In conclusion, the planning of the reserve areas and poor administration create a problem of expansion of the city.