Shaping Terrain: City Building in Latin America ed. by René Davids

Urban design in Latin America, often perceived as a one-way influence from European models, is revealed to be a reciprocal process shaped by the region's 'violent and sublime landscapes.' The book 'Shaping Terrain: City Building in Latin America,' edited by René Davids, explores how urban morphology in cities like Mexico City, Panama, and Caracas has been influenced by both topographical factors and socioeconomic divisions. Through case studies, it demonstrates that architectural design in these cities is not isolated but deeply intertwined with physical and social geographies. The book introduces three overarching themes—buildings, terrain, and form; cities and water; and hills, infrastructure, and social order—to connect specific architectural examples to broader urban landscapes, political goals, and national identity.

Stackhouse, J. (2017). Shaping Terrain: City Building in Latin America ed. by René Davids. Journal of Latin American Geography, 16(3), 172–174. https://doi.org/10.1353/lag.2017.0043