Resumen

DOMINGUEZ AGUILAR, Mauricio. Avances en el estudio de la estructura territorial de la Zona metropolitana de Mérida, Yucatán. Península [online]. 2011, vol.6, n.1, pp.185-200. ISSN 1870-5766.

Recent social, economic and urban transformations in the southern Mexican state of Yucatan have influenced not only the development of a metropolitan area around the capital city, Merida, but also in a more complex territorial structure of this region, which, despite its relevance, has received scant scholarly and public policy attention. Using as a starting point the contributions of previous studies on the metropolitan area and the tenets of "central place theory," this work analyzes the current territorial structure of the metropolitan area, a concept that significantly affects the local population's access to public services, employment and many other important aspects of day-to-day life. Despite the many aspects discussed about the analyzed territorial model, this paper points out its deficiencies, including the lack of a well-defined agenda, aspects that if rectified and adopted in the academic and public policy arena would have an overall positive effect in the development of the region.

Palabras llave : Territory; central place; metropolitan zone; Yucatán.