Geographies of peri-urbanization in the global south

Abstract

The term peri-urbanization has been widely used to describe a range of different processes that transform rural areas to a mix of rural and urban spaces. Although there is a burgeoning literature on peri-urbanization, the conceptual debate about peri-urbanization's distinction from urbanization is rarely considered. It sometimes seems like whatever occurs at the urban periphery across the global south is labeled peri-urbanization. This universalizing use of the term risks obscuring the existing diversities of rural-to-urban transformations. At the same time, it is empirically clear that the urban periphery of the global south hosts the most dynamic processes of urbanization in the contemporary world. It is also conceptually accepted that to better understand these diverse processes of urbanization, scholars must decenter global urban theory and build new vocabularies and theories from the south. Thus, there is doubt as to whether and to what extent a single concept like peri-urbanization can capture the great diversity of rural-to-urban transformations across the global south. This critical review of the southern geographies of peri-urbanization first identifies three interrelated conceptual vectors (territorial, functional, and transitional) for understanding the peri-urban concept, and outlines recent developments in the field. Then, peri-urbanization is reframed as an umbrella concept, which embraces multiple theoretical concepts and avoids the universalization inherent in much current usage. Finally, the paper reviews recent theoretical inquiries and new vocabularies of urbanization processes at the urban periphery, offering scope to theorize the heterogeneity of the geographies of peri-urbanization in the global south.