Latin America Model

The Latin American city model is influenced by colonialism, globalization, and Latin American Culture. Before creating the map, I researched key components of this city model. This gave me a better understanding of how infrastructure is organized in the cities of Latin America. This enabled me to map out where potencial building for what Latin America Models presents.

High-income residential areas are connected to the CBD through the spine, forming the Elite Residential Sector. In Mexico City, this includes neighborhoods like Polanco and Las Lomas. On the outskirts are peripheral squatter settlements, known as ciudades perdidas (“lost cities”). These unplanned settlements develop where land is unused, and some, like Nezahualcóyotl, have become permanent communities over time.

Mexico City also relies on the largest metro system in Latin America, along with systems like the Cablebús, to support transportation needs and connect peripheral zones to the center.

The Latin American city model has strengths and weaknesses. One strength is its strong CBD, which supports economic activity, business growth, and tourism. The Zócalo, surrounded by religious, government, and cultural buildings, creates a lively atmosphere that attracts visitors and boosts the city’s economy.

However, the model also creates inequality. As distance from the CBD increases, housing becomes cheaper and infrastructure declines. This leads to slums with poor sanitation, poverty, crime, and limited access to healthcare and education. Because power and resources are concentrated in the CBD, opportunities are unevenly distributed, creating long-term social divisions and urban disparity between wealthy central areas and struggling outskirts.

I created this model to get a better understanding of how Latin American City models are orginized with their different sectors. Building the model helped me understand how the CBD, the spine, elite residential areas, and peripheral settlements connect to one another, and how these patterns shape daily life for people living in Latin American cities

Large piece of paper

Markers / color pencils

Pencil and eraser

Using a large piece of paper, I drew a circle to represent the city center and divided it into the main sectors of the Latin American city model: Commercial Area (CBD), Elite Residential Sector, Middle-Class Residential Sector, Zone of Situ Accretion, Zone of Maturity, Gentrification Area, and Zone of Peripheral Squatter Settlements.

I then placed buildings based on how cities are organized. The CBD and commercial areas contain stores and services because they are the economic center. Elite residential areas have high-end housing due to higher land values, while middle-class housing is located further out where land is more affordable. Schools, hospitals, and churches are spread throughout the city to serve residents. Factories are placed on the outskirts to reduce pollution and land costs, and tenements and informal housing are found in peripheral squatter settlements due to limited access to affordable housing.

After that, I drew the buildings in detail and outlined everything with Sharpie to make the sectors clear. I then colored the map and added small human figures to represent population distribution across the city.

I created a Tinkercad model including key features of a Latin American city: the CBD, schools, factories, tenements, stores, houses, malls, squatter settlements, favelas, elite houses, and a bank.

Lastly, I added all the components to my key, labeling each feature of the city model such as the CBD, schools, factories, tenements, stores, houses, malls, squatter settlements, favelas, elite houses, and banks. I then copied the outline of my previously drawn map to transfer the layout accurately, making sure each sector and building type matched my original design. This helped finalize my model and ensure everything was clearly organized and consistent.