Abstract

ORIHUELA, Isela  and  SOBRINO, Jaime. Delimitation and paths of the metropolitan areas in Mexico, 1990-2020. Estud. demogr. urbanos [online]. 2023, vol.38, n.3, pp.867-917.  Epub Nov 10, 2023. ISSN 2448-6515.  https://doi.org/10.24201/edu.v38i3.2172.

This article discusses metropolitan development in Mexico and presents a methodological proposal for the delimitation of the country’s metropolitan areas in 2020. The reflection refers to the patterns of territorial distribution of the population, while the proposal follows criteria and considerations that have been used in the country and in other latitudes of the planet. The result of the empirical exercise shows a total of 62 metropolitan areas in 2020, covering 338 municipalities. The conformation of these metropolitan areas is mainly for reasons of physical union and, to a lesser extent, by functional relationship. Subsequently, an analysis is made on the temporal evolution of these metropolises between 1990 and 2020, and their spatial configuration. This exercise allows having a definition of metropolitan areas for 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020 based on uniform criteria. Later, the demographic dynamics of metropolitan areas between 1990 and 2020 are studied. Finally, the patterns of intrametropolitan distribution of the population and employment, and their change over time, are reviewed. The importance of this exercise is to review the definition and characteristics of metropolitan areas in Mexico based on approved criteria for their delimitation, the demographic and occupational distribution within metropolitan areas, and the challenges faced by the government and administration of these urban agglomerations.

Keywords : urban agglomeration; metropolitan area; criteria for the delimitation of metropolitan areas; metropolitan dynamics; intrametropolitan distribution of population and employment.

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