摘要：High rates of urban population growth in Mexico and other tropical (i.e.,
‘developing’) nations create large demands for building materials and construction
labor. Using a case study, this article analyzes the development of the building
material industry in the Xalapa-Perote region of central Veracruz, Mexico. First, it
examines the dominant types of materials used and where these are extracted
and/or produced. Drawing on traditional location theory, it then explores why
clustering occurred among one of the most popular building material producers,
concrete block manufacturers. In the final section, the case study demonstrates
that the industry’s clustering created a level of competition that not only resulted in
the production of poorer quality blocks, but may eventually lessen the job creating
capacity of the industry as a whole. This has implications for rural communities,
who view access to this local source of employment as its greatest benefit. The
research and its findings also have implications for development and industrial
geography research in tropical regions, where the combination of traditional
location theory and newer locational approaches can be useful for explaining
location behavior
关键词：Cluster competition, construction material industry, labor, location
theory, Mexico
