Spatial reconfiguration in Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico: Differences Between the City Expansion and the Port Growth, 1987-2018

Abstract

The city and the port of Lázaro Cárdenas have a differential growth which can be appreciated in their spatial divergences. Some geographical reasons for this are: location towards the Pacific Basin, excellent hydrography, territory with a very few elevations and mineral deposits in the region; these have been factors have encouraged a wide port in the globalization era, which has a world-class infrastructure and the Siderúrgica Lázaro Cárdenas-Las Truchas (a steel company); both complexes have had an important role in the region. The applied methodology has been a mixed (qualitative-quantitative) and the results are a basic cartography and associated information. This paper exposes, how the city and the port was created, their spatial transformations and the significant events related to their development. The main conclusion refers the disarticulation between the city and the port growth.