Environment and sustainable development: The Yurimaguas City case

Abstract

Humanity is looking for solutions to the environmental degradation problem, which is generated by the economic and demographic growth, the indiscriminate use of resources, deforestation and pollution. The «sustainable development» concept, which considers social, economical and environmental aspects, was created twenty years ago, but it is still not producing the desired effects, and its application generates discussion, propositions and alternatives. As a geographer, I am interested especially in two aspects, which I consider, could lead the city development to sustainability: 1. adjust the development to the advantages and limitations of the natural media of the region where the city is located, and 2. that the urban activities do not transfer the costs and environmental problems to the surroundings of the city and to the future generations.
In this paper I’ll try to put both postulations taking as an example the Yurimaguas city development. This city, located at a strategic point in the route between two oceans, has a past and a future linked to the conditions of the natural environment. The paper has an introduction where the theoretical aspects of both postulations are explained, then comes an analysis and discussion of the relationship between the natural environment and development of the Yurimaguas city, and finally some propositions are suggested to improve the quality of the city environment in order to lead it to a sustainable development.