Reflections on Latin American Urban Thought: Contributions to a Political Ecology of Urbanization

Abstract

This article examines theoretical pathways toward a non–city-centered conception of urbanization in the Latin American context, drawing on an extended review of the literature. Although Latin American urban-regional thought has advanced understandings of North–South structural dependence and its urban consequences, a theoretical gap has remained in analyses of urbanization beyond the centrality of urban spaces, particularly in relation to urban–rural and society–nature dynamics. By integrating contributions from Political Ecology and Urban Political Ecology, the article proposes a Political Ecology of Urbanization that articulates rural concerns, socio-environmental conflicts, and extractivist activities with multiscalar processes of urbanization. This approach moves beyond linear interpretations of rural–urban flows, emphasizing relational continuities across spaces. Lastly, the article advocates a perspective attuned to the region’s complexity and specificities, promoting knowledge production in collaboration with diverse social actors and movements.