ABSTRACT
The expression “Latin America” has been used since the 19th century to identify particular countries in the American continent and the common aspects between them, such as colonization and languages (Spanish and Portuguese). The concept of Latin American cities that names common identities and issues is more recent. Since the 1930s, accelerated urbanization in the capital cities has been a common feature of Latin American cities: urban areas have expanded and precarious peripheral areas have formed, resulting in social disaggregation. In response, cities changed their planning between the 1950s and the 1970s, from urbanism to urban and regional/metropolitan planning. In most large cities, the speed of urbanization defied the ability of local experts to devise new strategies or to consider a multi-country context. Planning was linked to economic development, sparking discussions about the future of countries, worsening poverty, and income inequality. According to Gorelik (2005a), intellectuals and professionals of that period sought to offer a political answer to the problems of growth and poverty faced by the cities. The creation of a common identity was a strategy used in the construction of a critical line of thought and in the design of public policies.
