Transformation of Rural Space in the San Nicolás Valleys

Abstract

Written by the Dean of Environmental Engineering at the Universidad de Medellín, this article analyzes the territorial transformation of the San Nicolás Valleys subregion in eastern Antioquia since the late 1960s, linked to the urban expansion of the Aburrá Valley and the growth of country housing. The author characterizes the emergence of a rururban space where peasant agricultural activity competes with industrial and residential uses, documenting through cartographic data that 86.5% of the subregion's properties are smallholdings under 5 hectares. The text presents a 15-year statistical analysis showing a 41% decrease in cultivated area and a 9% drop in food-production volume, identifying Rionegro, La Ceja, El Retiro, and Guarne as the municipalities most affected by urbanization, and concludes by calling for integrated territorial policies.