Urbanization of the Amazon

Urbanization of the Amazon A Cartographic Research Analysis

Produced for the Urban Theory Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Design

by Leif Estrada

Nighttime Lights

the accepted concept of agglomeration

In the early 1970s, Henri Lefebvre anticipated a situation of “generalized urbanization” in which an “urban fabric” would be extended to encompass the entire planet. More recently, geographer Edward Soja declared that “every square inch of the world is urbanized to some degree.” While the changing morphology and scale of urbanized regions has attracted considerable attention among urban scholars, the worldwide “urban fabric” postulated by Lefebvre and Soja remains poorly understood. Building on previous work on planetary urbanization in the Urban Theory Lab, this research explores the hypothesis of complete urbanization with reference to the “extreme territory” of the Amazon that is normally not considered to contain urban elements.

Globale Information Cables

first global infrastructure that established connectivity

Global Air Connectivity

late 20th century global air travel

Global Air Connectivity present global air travel

Global Internet Connectivity

late 20th century global internet network with that time’s global air network

Global Internet Connectivity

present global internet network with the current global air network

Social Media Connectivity

early 21st century’s social media network in relation to air and “cities of agglomeration”

Current Global Connectivity

site of intervention in relation to the global network of connectivity

ACTO

The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, that promotes the sustainable development of the Amazonian Biome. Established in 1978.

The Amazonian Biome

Defined by the area of landcover, in which the biome is distrbuted amongst the 9 jurisdictional nations that govern its development.

Airports

Seaports

Information Cable Landing Sites

Mineral Deposits from Extraction

Natural Gas Reserves

Crude Oil Reserves

“Enclosures�

national parks closed off from resource extrations and developments

Rail

Local roads

Transnational highways

Constructed and Proposed IIRSA Transnational highways

Existing and Poposed IIRSA pipelines

Existing and Proposed IIRSA Information Cables

Amazonian-Global Connectivity by 2050

Global Fuel and Energy Reserves

Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production and Consumption Logistics

Economic Growth Pre and Post-IIRSA

Roraima - Regional Scale

Regional Site of Roraima

Avanรงa Brasil Infrastructures

Connection of Projective IIRSA Pipelines (for Natural Gas)

Urbanization of the Amazon A Cartographic Research Analysis Produced for the Urban Theory Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Design | Spring 2014

by Leif Estrada