Dispersion and Polycentrism in Colombia’s Urban Structure

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic appraisal of the body of research that, from the perspective of urban economics, has addressed the issues of sprawl and polycentricity in Colombia. We analyze the sources of information, the methodologies and the results of several studies. While there is no doubt that strong decentralization has occurred among major cities, it is not possible, with the results of the studies analyzed, to clearly establish whether decentralization reflects a dispersion phenomenon or polycentricity. Urban density levels in Colombia seem to be more a function of income than of land prices. Apparently, the role played by urban planning policy has been insufficient to guide the configuration of cities.