Avances en el estudio de la estructura territorial de la Zona Metropolitana de Mérida, Yucatán

Abstract

Recent social, economic and urban transformations in the southern Mexican state of Yucatan have influenced not only the development of a metropolitan area around the capital city, Merida, but also in a more complex territorial structure of this region, which, despite its relevance, has received scant scholarly and public policy attention. Using as a starting point the contributions of previous studies on the metropolitan area and the tenets of “central place theory,” this work analyzes the current territorial structure of the metropolitan area, a concept that significantly affects the local population’s access to public services, employment and many other important aspects of day-to-day life. Despite the many aspects discussed about the analyzed territorial model, this paper points out its deficiencies, including the lack of a well-defined agenda, aspects that if rectified and adopted in the academic and public policy arena would have an overall positive effect in the development of the region.