A la carte urbanism: theories, policies, programs and other urban recipes for Latin American cities

Abstract

In recent decades, many Latin American cities have launched a similar set of public policies, urban programs and other urban development "recipes" in order to: confront different urban problems, generate economic competitiveness or build a good city image. These actions appear to build a "menu of tested recipes" in different urban contexts to "successfully" confront different urban problems and challenges. This article briefly reviews the circulation of urban paradigms and policies, compares some urban policies and programs which have been recently conducted in Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Quito, and attempts to answer some questions: Why do mayors with different political orientations implement the same type of urban policies? Is there a shared pragmatic vision, a political coincidence, economic coercion or a dominant ideology?