Sostenibilidad Urbana en América Latina: Metodología de Planificación y Medida de la Sostenibilidad de Ciudades Medianas de América Latina

This book describes and discusses a methodology of assessment and planning under the paradigm of sustainable development for medium-sized cities in Latin America (the author has also published two papers in Environment&Urbanization – in Vol 10, No 2 (October 1998) on environmental planning and management in Manizales, the Colombian city where the author has long worked; and in Vol 11, No 2 (October 1999) on a low-income neighbourhood within Manizales). The book describes how this methodology should be based on updated theories and focused on variables that should structure future planning strategies.

The book begins with an overview of several experiences in research, management and assessment of urban sustainable development implemented over the last decade in Latin American cities, and the effects of these approaches on some already applied models of urban planning. The main conclusion is that there is a need to build a more appropriate methodology in order to study a new urban reality for Latin American cities – in a contemporary context of sustainability – as well as to guide their future planning processes. The book defines a conceptual basis for this methodology, which should be based on three main dimensions, namely research, management and assessment. Therefore, a basic criterion for urban research should be the recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of the urban realm, stressing community participation and local history. Regarding urban management, the author proposes technical and political characteristics of action, setting out strategies for the implementation of a Local Agenda 21. Finally, for the dimension of assessment, she conceives a system in which several components, variables and indicators should help to assess government performances and their outcomes within a process of urban planning that supports sustainable development.
To test the proposed methodology, four medium-sized Latin American cities were analyzed and compared: two from Brazil (Curitiba and Porto Alegre) and two from Colombia (Cali and Medellin). During several phases of critical analysis, a number of interviews and meetings were carried out with members of the “Red Latinoamericana de Estudios Ambientales Urbanos” (The Latin American Network for Urban Environmental Studies) to refine and reach agreement on the most appropriate indicators to be used specifically in these cases. Then the case of Cali is presented in some detail. This work seeks to encourage and support a conceptual and methodological advance that can contribute to the study of sustainability in complex urban systems. It is intended to help researchers in the field of urban planning, although the author notes that there is still a long way to go in order to reach scientific certainties or strengthened hypotheses about a sustainable development model for urban areas.