Armed Conflict, Forced Displacement and Socio-Spatial Transformations in Barrancabermeja, 1980-2005

The urbanization of Colombian cities is marked by violence and poverty (Ruiz Salguero et al., 2007). The Colombian armed conflict displaced millions of people from the countryside who sought refuge in urban centers. As a result of this process, the cities of the country grew poverty belts that accentuated socio-spatial fragmentation. The objective of this work is to analyze the process of socio-spatial transformation of Barrancabermeja in relation to the accelerated arrival of people displaced by violence. We seek to analyze the process of socio-spatial fragmentation and segregation of forced migrants in a city historically marked by the spatialization of oil in-dustry. We propose a methodological approach based primarily on quantitative data but draw on qualitative sources to complement observations and analysis.