Megacities, metropolitan areas, and local governments : the mexican experience

Abstract

During the second half of the twentieth century, most countries experienced exceptional demographic growth, while some traditional cities underwent physical expansion, overflowing their historical jurisdictional boundaries. A quantitatively and qualitatively new urban form, the metropolis, became the locus of economic, social, and cultural life for over half the urban population in both developed and developing nations. It produced a continuous urban landscape that was socially differentiated and administratively fragmented.