Population, territory and sustainable development

191
5. Concluding remarks: the great importance of major cities in Latin America
Latin America’s large cities sustained a profound crisis in the final two decades of the twentieth century,
the effects of which are still evident in a number of problems and shortfalls today. Nonetheless, the first
decade of the new century brought many changes for the better. These big cities have developed their role
as key arenas for national development and some of their worst problems have begun to recede, partly
thanks to more active and robust public policy efforts at both national and local levels.
Population dynamics in these cities —which at one time tended to worsen their problems,
especially through high immigration rates— have now changed. Both natural population growth and
waves of immigration are steadily slowing, and this has significantly reduced the pressure on city
infrastructure, resources and markets.
The demographic situation should remain favourable for a few years. This represents a unique
opportunity to deal with backlogs of problems, take steps to even out the worrying levels of inequality
and build more integrated, productive and environmentally-friendly cities. Chapter XI discusses policies
for making progress in these directions.