Territorial and Cultural Communities: Threats to Their Identity Due to Urban Expansion and Technological Advancement

Abstract

The unchecked urban sprawl and intense technological evolution profoundly alter, and even destroy, the roots, identity, self-esteem, sense of belonging, and daily life of specific communities, whether territorial or cultural. In the section dedicated to the central theme of this issue of the University of Costa Rica's Journal of Social Sciences, we analyze how urban sprawl absorbs and destroys communities that were previously outside large cities and possess their own traditions and identities, which are affected by the unstoppable encroachment of the city, accompanied by new construction technologies, roads, and buildings. Likewise, the dizzying pace of technological development impacts communities that are no longer territorial but cultural, which are also threatened by processes that can lead to their loss of identity and even their disappearance.