Urban sprawl and residential production logic in an intermediate city

La Rioja, Argentina (2001-2010-2022)

Abstract

Studies on Latin American cities expose urbanization processes characterized by extensive and dispersed land use patterns, resulting from weak state regulation, high levels of informality, and a growing influence of the private real estate sector. La Rioja, an intermediate city within Argentina's urban hierarchy, is no exception to these dynamics. This paper analyzes this city's urban growth in the 21st century and the underlying logic of residential production. Part of the hypothesis is that state direct and indirect interventions have been decisive in the city's physical expansion as well as in the differential location of residential production. The methodology incorporates Geographic Information Systems to quantify the annexation of urban land, identify residential types, and examine the demographic dynamics accompanying this process. The results reveal a notable urban sprawl process in the context of positive, albeit less rapid, demographic dynamics, and show that the availability of land, public investment and the local regulatory framework influenced the differential configuration of the urban periphery. The analysis contributes to the debate on urban transformations and the role of the State in the context of intermediate cities.