Transboundary Basins and Cities: The Transboundary Urban System of the Alto Acre

Abstract

The study aims to analyze and interpret the organization of the cities located within the transboundary Alto Acre basin. This, in order to construct a comprehensive depiction of the crossborder urban system. Using a geographical methodological approach, the research examines and describes the characteristics of the border cities of Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru situated in the Alto Acre in the Amazon. The findings confirm the emergence of an urban system shaped by the cross-border relations and interactions developed among cities. Those relations have different hierarchical level. The study identifies the relative weakness of the emerging urban system, within which multiple units with differing levels of cohesion coexist. The most dynamic cities exhibit a higher degree of integration with their corresponding counterparts in the Brazilian-Bolivian and Brazilian-Peruvian urban systems.