Analysis Of The Urban-Rural Gradient Terminology And Its Imaginaries In A Latin-American Context

Facing the new territorial configurations where the traditional binary conception of rural area versus urban area has become obsolete, this contribution aims at establishing new precisions about the most recurrent terms used in the scientific literature to describe the urban-rural gradient in a Latin-American context. As methodology, in order to identify and systematize the most outstanding attributes for each term, a Citation Frequency Index (CFI) has been calculated in 64 documents and 598 quotes. Additionally the Sorensen Similarity Index (SSI) has been measured in order to identify distinctions and synergies among terms, obtaining a wider understanding of this territory and its interactions. A total of 50 attributes were identified and, based on them, the following precisions were formulated: Rurban area is a territory that, despite experiencing pressure for urban growth, is still strongly rooted to rural activities due to its proximity to the rural area. The terms suburban area and periphery are spatially located closer to the urban area; however, periphery is mainly associated with precariousness and informality, while a Latin-American suburb is constituted by large extensions of gated communities next to territories of poverty. Finally, the periurban area is essentially defined as an interface between urban and rural land, with highly heterogeneous uses and, due to its synergies with the other terms, it is recognized as a more extensive and encompassing territorial notion. This exercise highlights the importance of specific studies that distinguish the conceptual nuances of terminology in each region and the realities and imaginaries they represent.