Land Speculation and Real Estate Development in Post- Agrarian El Salvador

the objective of this research is to investigate the socioeconomic and environmental implications of rapid urban development in the municipality of Nuevo Cuscatlan in central El Salvador. In the past 15-20 years, the municipality has undergone a period of rapid urbanization. The process has resulted from a combination between the decline of the national coffee economy and the efforts from municipal governments of the area to attract other forms of investment. The mountain landscape of the area, its fresh weather, as well as its location between the capital city, San Salvador, and La Libertad beach, a popular tourist destination, have attracted numerous real estate investors. The latter have mainly focused on the construction of residential neighborhoods for middle-high income populations, thus initiating a process of rural gentrification which has turned the area into a highly segregated space.