Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

The municipality of Tlalnepantla has evolved from an economic structure based on self-consumption agriculture and forestry to the extensive production of prickly pear pads for national and international consumption. This shift has changed its primary economic sector and fostered a new organization of the territory around this activity. The objective of this research is to analyze the territorial organization process of the production chain of prickly pear pads grown in this municipality and its main implications, as regards its territory and the producers involved. To this end, the study was based on a survey of the physical and historical factors that have driven the development of this activity; subsequently, information was directly collected in the field through the experiences of different types of producers. This was supplemented by data collected from statistical and blbliographic information to conduct a cartographic analysis and summary of the current territorial organization of prickly pear pad production in the municipality of Tlalnepantla. The results of our research revealed that the territorial organization of this activity is partly managed by the local producers, which, in addition to its closeness to Mexico City, has benefited the production and commercial conditions; however, at the same time, it has resulted in the marginalization of another sector of prickly pear pad producers because of political factors and direct competition within the national market of this vegetable.

The spread of COVID-19 has altered the structure and functioning of spatial systems, giving rise to multiple dynamics. The spatial and temporal concentration of cases requiring medical care has led to the collapse of healthcare systems around the world, particularly in territories with already limited resilience potential and provision of medical services, as was the case of Ecuador. In this South American country, a reform of the healthcare system was launched as part of the 2008 Constitution that involved a strengthened investment in healthcare services; however, when the pandemic started, the implementation of the Comprehensive Healthcare Model (MAIS, in Spanish) had not been consolidated, and a number of constraints limiting its functioning in a scenario of changing public management priorities were expressed. In this context, the present study addressed access to public healthcare from two different perspectives. From a structural perspective, the distribution of hospital infrastructure was studied; from a more contextual perspective, the strategies generated in the context of the pandemic for COVID-19 patients to access healthcare services were analyzed. The structural and contextual perspectives were addressed considering a spatial approach, which led to the configuration of “functional regions”. The hospital infrastructure was analyzed applying gravitational spatial models (Reilly’s and Huff’s models) in the PhilCarto free software to evaluate the hypothetical influence of the existing infrastructure on access to healthcare services in a territory characterized by a duopoly (Quito and Guayaquil) and a great diversity regarding the occupation of space. For the contextual analysis of health care in the COVID-19 pandemic scenario, the Gephi free software was used to perform spatial network analysis from the healthcare database of the Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social (Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security; IESS, in Spanish) — one of the main providers of healthcare services in Ecuador. The study of this network was based on the examination of the links between housing areas and healthcare sites for COVID-19 patients, which allowed evaluating both the weight of the territories and the centralities regarding access to healthcare services, leading to the formation of functional regions from spatial links. The application of the modularity algorithm allows the identification of spaces that, beyond a local perspective, form a functional network according to the spatial dynamics of the healthcare provided to COVID-19 patients. The results obtained are discussed from the perspective of spatial inequities in the provision of healthcare services and the analysis of the role of functional regions under crisis scenarios. The first perspective highlights the patterns of inequity in the provision of healthcare services, within the framework of spatial injustice theories. Land-use planning at the national level and the territorial management of public policy are proposed as strategies to achieve higher efficiency and effectiveness levels in the provision of a service that operates in a hierarchical way and where real and potential access to infrastructure are among the driving variables. The functionality of space from this perspective is seen from a multi-scale standpoint, in which the regional scale constructed from functional links is highlighted. Indeed, from the second perspective of the analysis of results, the identification of spatial links and the formation of functional networks reveal spatial structures underlying territorial dynamics. Besides, these results represent strategic and valuable knowledge for the territorial management of the pandemic and, from a broader perspective, of healthcare and the provision of public services. Certainly, functional regions show historically constructed linkages and their use within a crisis scenario. Institutions would benefit by considering these inputs for management more closely linked with historically constructed socio-spatial dynamics that provide clear functionality to space from a regional perspective. The study concludes by highlighting the need for continuous processes to strengthen public services and, even more so, pivotal sectors such as healthcare services, for these efforts to consolidate their effects in the mid- and long term. These efforts have the potential to strengthen contextual management in crisis scenarios such as the pandemic. Both structural and contextual management should incorporate the spatial component as a social construction where citizens and institutions interact. In this sense, pandemic management requires to be founded on the diversity, dynamics, and interaction of spaces.

   In Mexico, municipal water services consider the supply and sanitation of domestic water including access, collection, distribution, use, and treatment. With regard to regulations, the municipality is the basic unit in the provision of this public service, so municipalities have in charge of offering continuous water supply and sanitation across their territorial political jurisdiction. However, there are various water management and access modalities within each territory. In general, urbanized areas have public infrastructure to receive a continuous supply from municipalities. In contrast, populations in urban outskirts and rural areas do not receive this service, so they resort to other self-management systems to solve water supply in their communities. In this way, the complete picture of water services is distorted, showing a biased reality where the lack of water services in suburbs or rural localities with no official access to public water services is hard to discern. Given this situation, it is important to analyze the municipality through a sectoral approach since it is necessary to identify and characterize water management from the geodemographic scale, understood as population and territory.  The objective of this study was to analyze the coverage of domestic water public services and the other forms of access to water throughout the municipal area, according to the different types of population in which localities are classified. To this end, we followed a step-wise and systematic procedure to gather the necessary data and information on the research subject.  Based on the application of quantitative and qualitative research techniques, the methodological approach was organized into four stages: diagnosis, design, description, and analysis. Based on the information obtained, the territory of the municipality of Huajuapan de Leon, Oaxaca, was structured from 153 localities: 81 neighborhoods, 41 residential compounds, 11 municipal agencies, 16 police offices, and a rural core. Non-participant observations were made through a surveillance trip through the study area. From this, we concluded that in-depth surveys and interviews should be carried out considering the organization of inhabitants within localities. In this way, both surveys and in-depth interviews were addressed to key informants, including City Council officers and local representatives because they have records and experience in managing water services in their communities. A total of 153 surveys were conducted for neighborhood presidents, municipal agents or police officers in these communities. Meanwhile, 68 interviews were conducted with key informants in localities with lack of water supply from municipal services, as well as with City Council officers. Finally, we triangulated quantitative and qualitative information obtained from two categories of analysis: geographical disaggregation and its geodemographic dynamics.  The results showed the existence of four types of local water management sources: a) the government, b) independent water systems (IWSs), c) water delivery trucks, and d) private wells. It was identified that, given the lack of municipal water services, the local society is organized to get water supply by means of IWSs. However, this self-management modality is limited by the territorial conditions because the distance, the irregular topography and the sparsely distributed households represent geographic limits. As a result, the population living in urban outskirts and rural areas is forced to self-supply water from delivery trucks or private wells. With regard to the communities with self-supply from delivery trucks, the central issue is geodemographic. In this case, the necessary population does not exist and the geohydrological conditions of the land are unsuitable for constructing dikes or artesian wells, so the population gets water from delivery trucks. In the communities that extract water from wells, a large part of the water extracted is not only for household use but also for farming activities. It is worth noting that most households are used on a temporary basis, so managing any other type of water supply would be unsuitable. 

While theory and legislation are moving towards open and participatory governance models, one of the main reasons for mobilization in Latin America is environmental conflicts. On the coast of the Eastern Region, Uruguay, a territory historically destined to residential tourism, multiple approvals of projects located on the seafront or on the beach are generally experienced as abuses by civil society. In this context, it is of interest to know what type of participation for coastal urban development is opened up by land use planning. Qualitative and quantitative information from workshops, resident surveys, interviews with activist groups from organized civil society, and a public manifest of the national network of coastal groups is analyzed. A strong concern for the conservation of the area's environmental conditions, low information on specific coastal issues and difficulties in influencing final decisions are observed. The results coincide with international statements on the installation of the official discourse on environmental governance, without real progress that would allow for important changes in the development model associated with real estate extractivism. This situation urgently demands the installation of permanent formats of horizontal dialogue between actors, which even without being legally binding, promote knowledge and allow for real participation in coastal territorial planning.

The contributions of the thermal expansion of the ocean and the reduction of the glacier mass in the polar ice caps in the face of the increase in the global average surface temperature, generate an increase in the average sea level on a global scale that particularly threatens human settlements in the areas coastal. Due to this, studies that characterize the behavior of sea level in particularly vulnerable regions are essential. In this work, the current and future behavior in the central coast of the Gulf of Mexico was evaluated, to determine if it presents an increase similar to that identified globally. Tidal data from three stations belonging to the Tidal Network of the Secretaría de Marina (Secretary of Navy) were analyzed: Coatzacoalcos, Frontera and Veracruz. Using annual mean data, time evolution graphs were constructed, to which a trend line was associated through the method of least squares. Finally, using extrapolations, predictions of the behavior of the sea level were built to observe and compare the development of this variable. The results show a negative average global trend in the region, with a magnitude of -1.86 mm year-1 considering the period from 1999 to 2018. The average increase included in the first decade of the period is 3.6 mm year-1; in the second decade a decrease of approximately -1.26 mm year-1 was observed. This negative behavior identified in the central coast of the Gulf of Mexico may be due to the influence of mesoscale meteorological events, continental vertical movements or episodes of the La Niña phenomenon.

A characterization of extreme precipitation events in the state of Colima, Mexico, for the period 1981-2018 is presented. Based on the analysis of climatological stations and the application of a methodology based on peaks above the threshold of wet days, criteria were defined for the identification of an extreme event that would represent the local variations of intense rains. Likewise, and using the NOAA database of best tropical cyclone tracks, the influence of these phenomena on the generation of extreme events was determined. The results show significant differences in terms of the spatio-temporal distribution of these phenomena in Colima. On the one hand, the most severe events are located in the south of the state, while their highest frequency is located in the north. The months of generation of events associated with tropical cyclones have their maximum in September, while those that are not are more frequent during August. There are significant differences with respect to the accumulated precipitation of the associated events and not to tropical cyclones, where the former can double the accumulated precipitation for some regions of the state. The identification of the spatio-temporal patterns of extreme precipitation events and their inter-annual variations, are the first step for the characterization of the risk before these phenomena in Colima and can be used for the generation of public policies focused on the reduction of the risk of disaster before such hydrometeorological hazards.

Assessing the carrying capacity in tourist attractions is essential for measuring and monitoring the impact of users visiting attractions, both private and public, especially those in protected areas. Conventional tourism, without proper planning, can promote environmental degradation along the trails of attractions in the Amazon region. The objective of this study was to determine the tourist carrying capacity (CCT) of the trails in the tourist attractions in the municipality (county) of Presidente Figueiredo in Brazil’s state of Amazonas, considering the state of forest degradation in these locations. To determine the CCT, the method of Cifuentes et al. (1999) was used, which divides carrying capacity into three levels: physical (CCF), real (CCR) and effective (CCE). According to the results obtained, we highlight those attractions that presented an excellent CCE as: "Neblina" (77 people day-1), "C. Iracema Falls" (90 people day-1) and "Cachoeira da Onça" (39 people day-1). In addition, there was moderate forest degradation along the trails of the "Perema" (40.3%), "Sanctuary" (26.9%), "Galo da Serra" (26.9%) and "Pedra Furada" (26.1%) attractions. These results can help in planning tourism in Presidente Figueiredo, guaranteeing the control and permanent monitoring of visitation in a sustainable way.

Landscape classification and mapping have raised interest in Latin America. There is an increasing number of studies conducted in this region; however, they show marked differences in the establishment of the hierarchy and subordination of landscape components within classification systems. The aim of this article is to propose a multiscale integration method of the “differentiating landscape components” – relief, vegetation, and land use – for landscape classification and mapping at three levels: natural region, geosystem, and geofacies. The landscape map was constructed through three stages: 1) environmental analysis and synthesis; 2) environmental integration and landscape classification; and 3) classification validation. The method was applied to the Tlalpan and Milpa Alta municipalities (southern Mexico City), and resulted in a classification of the landscape into three natural regions, six geosystems, and 113 geofacies, where each level was defined by the spatial-temporal resolution and the relative weight of its differentiating components. This methodological approach can be adapted to various conditions and areas, and constitutes a cartographic foundation of broad applicability in studies focused on land-use planning.

The Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (GMA), in western Mexico, has experienced a rapid demographic and urban growth in recent decades. As a result of land use changes, an Urban Heat Island (UHI) has developed and intensified, which reflects not only in air surface temperature increases, but also in higher atmospheric moisture content and more intense precipitation events. Storms have become more frequent since the beginning of 1980s, which makes them one of the major meteorological hazards for the city. Such an increase in strong storms appears to be related to the urbanization process which in turn, has increased the vulnerability of the GMA to intense rains. The urban expansion towards the higher parts of the region has led to more water runoff and flash flood events in the low-level parts of the metropolitan area. An analysis by means of observed meteorological data and a rainfall – runoff methodology shows that the combined effect of increased precipitation and vulnerability results in a higher risk of urban flash floods. The loss of natural vegetation, the main roads that act as water channels that converge into the central part of the city, an insufficient drainage system and the lack of prevention actions have resulted in more frequent urban flash floods. All of these vulnerability factors are associated with an inadequate urban expansion process. The model of flood risk may be used to define adaptation measures to face a changing climate.

This paper analyzes the spatial distribution of crude mortality rates (CMR) due to breast (BC) and cervical cancer (CC) in the Megalopolis of Central Mexico (MCM) in 2013-2020 with spatial analysis techniques. The local Moran autocorrelation index was calculated to detect the presence of clusters, as well as the bivariate local Moran index to analyze the relationship between the spatial patterns of the diseases and six demographic, socioeconomic, educational and cultural variables. In the period 2013-2020, the CMR by BC and CC in the MCM show a growing and stable dynamics respectively. A non-random spatial distribution of their CMR and unequal patterns in the two types of neoplasms were determined. Significant clusters of high mortality values ​​were detected for BC around the central metropolitan municipalities (mainly in Mexico City) and conurbations, and in the case of CC in the south and east of the MCM, essentially in peripheral municipalities. A significant positive association was found between BC CMR and the percentage of older women and with higher education, and a negative association with the marginalization index, the female population with educational lag, and the population without access to health services. For the CC only a significant positive association was found with the percentage of older women, locally bivariate clusters were detected between CC and marginalization in the south of the MCM.