Self-production of formal housing in the urban dynamics of Xalapa, Veracruz (2017-2021)

This article aims to show a methodological approach to analyze and interpret the impact of self-produced formal housing on the urban dynamics of a city in a given period of time, applying geostatistical tools. The city of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico is presented as an empirical case and is based on the construction licenses for the years 2017, 2019 and 2021, which are analyzed and spatially located in a cartogram. Subsequently, the information is geoprocessed through the Kernel Density to explore the urban patterns that allow us to understand the spatial relationship in the territory in the years of study to finally show the areas of concentration and consolidation. The information obtained exhibits two behaviors that show the urban dynamics of Xalapa: the first is the areas of expansion towards the periphery with the consolidation of conurbations between municipalities, and the second is the appearance of modifications on the land use and renovation of housing in central areas of the city. The findings point to two behaviors in the city’s urban dynamics. First, they show the areas expanding towards the periphery, thereby leading to the consolidation of conurbations between municipalities. Second, the findings unveil land-use changes and housing transformation in the city’s downtown area.