The development of peri-urbanization in Galápagos: The case of Santa Cruz island

The development of peri-urbanization in Gal\&\#225;pagos: the case of Santa Cruz island. - Historically the Gal\&\#225;pagos archipelago has been identified as an exemplary case of a tourism development able to preserve the environmental heritage and as an example of an eco-tourism system of excellence. However, over the last decade, population growth and the motorization of the insular mobility have fundamentally changed the traditional process of settlement of the population and therefore the internal equilibrium of the system. Through the study of the main island of the archipelago, Santa Cruz, in the article we discuss the reasons beyond this change, noting how for the first time in his history the island is undergoing a rapid process of peri-urbanisation that puts at risk the tangible and intangible heritage of the island.