Unpacking the Ecuadorian spatial planning law: policy mobilities in Latin America between transnational agency and path-dependent logics

ABSTRACT

The paper engages with the policy mobilities debate by examining the 2016 Ecuadorian spatial planning law. It explores the existing tensions between the constitutional framework and the spatial planning tools outlined by the law which were the result of a process of adaptation of external planning models influenced by international organizations. It shows how the long-term consequences of property rights and a rural understanding of indigeneity shaped spatial planning tools, therefore suggesting the implication of path dependence in the outcome of policy mobilities. The contribution is based on participant observation, desk-research and semi-structured interviews.

KEYWORDS:

• Policy mobilities
• spatial planning
• path dependence
• Latin America
• Ecuador

Acknowledgement

The author would like to thank her ex-colleagues at MIDUVI and UN-Habitat for their contribution and support, the Policy Mobilities Working Group (PMWG) for their feedback on an earlier draft of the article, and the peer reviewers whose comments helped clarify the text.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The ‘urban reform’ movement started with the enactment of new political constitutions in Latin America (e.g. the 1988 Brazilian constitution and the Colombian 1991 constitution) committed to attaining social justice and equity, and several spatial planning laws (i.e. the 1997 Colombian Law 388 and the 2001 Brazilian City Statute) were enacted afterward.

2. The term ‘à la carte urbanism’ (Delgadillo, 2014) refers to a ‘menu of proven recipes’ which has been offered from several international organizations to local and national governments in Latin America for comparing urban problems and challenges.

3. The Ley de Plusvalía was approved in December 2016 and abrogated in 2018.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Politecnico di Torino;