Urban Expansion in Oaxaca, Mexico: Research on the Fringe

This research examines the land use change on the urban edge of Oaxaca, Mexico, and the associated environmental and social consequences of this transformation in the peri-urban community and municipality of San Jacinto Amilpas (SJA). The city of Oaxaca is expected to grow from a current population of approximately half a million to over a million by 2010. The dramatic growth and subsequent environmental change embodied in the process of urbanization is altering the economic, cultural and political face of SJA. Interviews with community members indicate that these changes have resulted in increased crime and conflict, amplified class divisions, and a population increasingly focused on individual pursuits and new sources of livelihood which are slowly eroding traditional community cohesiveness.