Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Urban Growth in Latin American Cities: An Analysis Using Nighttime Lights Imagery

47 Pages Posted: 16 Jan 2019 Last revised: 17 Jan 2019

See all articles by Juan C. Duque

Juan C. Duque

Universidad EAFIT - School of Economics and Finance - Center for Research in Economic & Finance (CIEF)

Nancy Lozano Gracia

World Bank

Jorge Patino

Universidad EAFIT; Universidad EAFIT - School of Economics and Finance - Center for Research in Economic & Finance (CIEF)

Paula Restrepo

World Bank

Wilson A. Velasquez

Universidad EAFIT

Date Written: January 15, 2019

Abstract

The impact of urban form on economic performance and quality of life has been extensively recognized. The studies on urban form have focused in developed countries; only a few cities in developing countries have been studied. This paper utilizes nighttime lights imagery and information on street networks, automatically retrieved from OpenStreetMap, to calculate a series of spatial metrics that capture different aspects of the urban form of 919 Latin American and Caribbean cities. The paper classifies these cities into clusters according to these spatial metrics. It also studies the relationship between the urban form metrics and some factors that can correlate with urban form (topography, size, colony, and economic performance) and performs a spatio-temporal analysis of urban growth from 1996 to 2010. Among the results, the paper highlights the identification of five typologies of cities, the tendency of a group of cities to grow at a steeper slope, some worrying cases of urban growth over protected areas, and a trend toward increasing sprawl in some Latin American and Caribbean cities.

Keywords: City to City Alliances, Urban Economics, Urban Economic Development, National Urban Development Policies & Strategies, Urban Communities, Regional Urban Development, Transport Services, Labor Markets, Energy and Natural Resources, Coastal and Marine Resources

Suggested Citation

Duque, Juan Carlos C. and Lozano Gracia, Nancy and Patino, Jorge and Patino, Jorge and Restrepo, Paula and Velasquez, Wilson A., Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Urban Growth in Latin American Cities: An Analysis Using Nighttime Lights Imagery (January 15, 2019). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8702, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3316479

Juan Carlos C. Duque (Contact Author)

Universidad EAFIT - School of Economics and Finance - Center for Research in Economic & Finance (CIEF) ( email )

Carrera 49 No. 7 South - 50
Bogotá
Colombia

Nancy Lozano Gracia

World Bank

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Jorge Patino

Universidad EAFIT ( email )

Carrera 49 N° 7 sur – 50
Bogotá, Antioquia 00000
Colombia

Universidad EAFIT - School of Economics and Finance - Center for Research in Economic & Finance (CIEF) ( email )

Carrera 49 No. 7 South - 50
Bogotá
Colombia

Paula Restrepo

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Wilson A. Velasquez

Universidad EAFIT ( email )

Carrera 49 N° 7 sur – 50
Bogotá, Antioquia 00000
Colombia

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