Experimental Urban Planning: Tensions Behind the Proliferation of Urban Laboratories in Latin America

Abstract

Urban laboratories are gaining popularity in Latin America as spaces of experimentation within urban planning. Based on semi-structured interviews across Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil, we identify two tensions behind the current proliferation of urban laboratories in Latin America. Firstly, the temporary and informal nature of urban laboratories, while promoting innovative thinking and experimentation, limits their long-term impact. Secondly, their reliance on international best practices and highly educated “trendy urbanists” often hinder their ability to foster more democratic and inclusive outcomes. We conclude by reflecting how these tensions highlight larger challenges in realizing the transformative potential of experimental approaches to planning.

Keywords:

• Experimental urbanism
• urban laboratories
• co-production
• best practices
• Latin America

Disclosure Statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sergio Montero

Sergio Montero is Associate Professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto, Scarborough. His research interests focus around the politics of urban and regional planning, the global circulation of policy knowledge and the exploration of inclusive economic development strategies, particularly in Latin American cities and peripheral regions. [email protected]

Ryan Anders Whitney

Ryan Anders Whitney is a Profesor Investigador in the School of Architecture, Art and Design at the Tecnologico de Monterrey (Mexico City Campus). His research agenda explores the intersections between urban sustainability and equity, focusing on how urban planning policies and programs are adopted in different cities around the world.

Isabel Peñaranda

Isabel Peñaranda is a PhD student at the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research relates to the political economy of urban policies in Latin America, specifically relating to land markets and value, informal settlements and forms of peripheral urbanization.