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Land conflict in peri-urban areas: Exploring the effects of land reform on informal settlement in Mexico

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  • Melanie Lombard

Abstract

Peri-urban areas are often subject to intensive construction, through both formal and informal processes. As land transitions from rural to urban status, different land tenure and administration systems may come into conflict, leading to disputes, contestation and, in some cases, violence. However, little is known about the precise causes of peri-urban land conflict. In Mexico, peri-urban growth has historically proceeded peacefully, owing to the control exerted by a corporatist system of government, and the political use of land tenure regularisation. However, the effects of land reforms on transactions at the peri-urban fringe, in the context of wider processes of liberalisation, may be increasing vulnerability to conflict over land. This paper explores these issues through a case study of an irregular settlement on the peri-urban fringe of the provincial Mexican city of Xalapa, where contestations over informally developed land have escalated into violent encounters between groups of settlers and the state. The findings show that vulnerability to conflict in peri-urban areas can be attributed to the interaction of macro-level processes with local-level factors, including diverse claims, overlapping legal and governance frameworks and, critically, local power relations.

Suggested Citation

  • Melanie Lombard, 2016. "Land conflict in peri-urban areas: Exploring the effects of land reform on informal settlement in Mexico," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(13), pages 2700-2720, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:53:y:2016:i:13:p:2700-2720
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098015603569
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gareth A. Jones & Peter M. Ward, 1998. "Privatizing the commons: reforming the ejido and urban development in Mexico," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 76-93, March.
    2. Achamyeleh Gashu Adam, 2014. "Land Tenure in the Changing Peri-Urban Areas of Ethiopia: The Case of Bahir Dar City," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(6), pages 1970-1984, November.
    3. Valeria Guarneros‐Meza, 2009. "Mexican Urban Governance: How Old and New Institutions Coexist and Interact," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 463-482, June.
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