Globalization and metropolitan expansion: residential strategies and livelihoods in Caracas and its periphery

Abstract

This paper describes how the twin processes of globalization and impoverishment affect different groups in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. These processes are closely intertwined with the territorial expansion of the city and its growth from the Caracas Metropolitan Area into the larger Caracas Metropolitan Region. The result is territorial segregation, with wealthier groups residing in centrally located and “gated” spaces whilst the impoverished middle-and lowincome groups are pushed to the periphery, where they compete for space and where different values and social identities are a potential source of conflict.