Title: Urbanization in Latin America - Atlantic Council
Headings: Urbanization in Latin America
Wed, Feb 5, 2014
Urbanization in Latin America
Latin America: The World’s Urban Leader
Moving Forward: Policy Considerations

Content: But rising living standards also create new demands on infrastructure, among them transportation. Latin American cities such as Curitiba, Brazil, and Bogotá, Colombia have been at the forefront of creating new modes of transportation to reduce congestion. Still, both intra-city and intercity mobility must be improved to reduce the burden on transportation infrastructure and the environment. Decentralization and Citizen Participation. Latin America has historically been marked by highly concentrated control of political and fiscal resources. However, recent years have seen a decentralization of resources and power from national governments to state and local authorities in select countries. With that, citizens increasingly demand participation in local government decision-making, and participatory budgeting and planning has been established in municipalities in countries such as Peru and Bolivia. Citizen empowerment bodes well for democratic institutions and stability, but more attention must be focused on how to provide local authorities and cities with the technical know-how to make informed decisions. In the coming decades, cities will increasingly shape local and national policy and decision-making. The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center seeks to become a hub for thought leadership on Latin America’s leading role in the global urban trend by examining lessons learned around the region’s urbanization story and connecting Latin America’s experience to that of cities across the world.