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Urban infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean: public policy priorities

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  • Laura Jaitman

Abstract

Latin America and the Caribbean is the most urbanized region in the developing world. Its urbanization rate of almost 80 % is comparable to that of high-income countries. However, cities in the region are struggling to provide the infrastructure needed for their millions of residents to enjoy a decent quality of life. This paper focuses on analyzing three aspects of this challenge. First, it identifies the main problems in housing and transport infrastructure in the region. Second, it examines the effect of past interventions to improve the living standards of the urban poor. And third, it analyzes the relationship between housing supply and transport networks, two connected topics that shape the region’s spatial urban patterns. Copyright The Author(s) 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Jaitman, 2015. "Urban infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean: public policy priorities," Latin American Economic Review, Springer;Centro de Investigaciòn y Docencia Económica (CIDE), vol. 24(1), pages 1-57, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:laecrv:v:24:y:2015:i:1:p:1-57:10.1007/s40503-015-0027-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s40503-015-0027-5
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    2. Sandrine Mesplé-Somps & Laure Pasquier-Doumer & Charlotte Guénard, 2016. "Do slum upgrading programmes improve living standards? Evidence from Djibouti," Working Papers DT/2016/09, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
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    4. Anahi Molar-Cruz & Lukas D Pöhler & Thomas Hamacher & Klaus Diepold, 2022. "Who settles where? Simulating urban growth and socioeconomic level using cellular automata and random forest regression," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 49(6), pages 1697-1714, July.
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    6. Moisés Obaco & Juan Pablo Díaz-Sánchez, 2018. "“An Overview of Urbanization in Ecuador under FUAs Definition”," AQR Working Papers 201807, University of Barcelona, Regional Quantitative Analysis Group, revised Jul 2018.
    7. Moisés Obaco & Juan Pablo Díaz-Sánchez, 2018. "“Urbanization in Ecuador: An overview using the FUA definition”," IREA Working Papers 201814, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Oct 2018.
    8. Villena-Sanchez, Jessica & Boschmann, E. Eric & Avila-Forcada, Sara, 2022. "Daily travel behaviors and transport mode choice of older adults in Mexico City," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Urban infrastructure; Transport; Slums; Housing; Land titling; Impact evaluation; O18; R0; R3; R4;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • R0 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General
    • R3 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location
    • R4 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics

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