Social Urbanism in Latin America, 1st ed. 2020 Cases and Instruments of Planning, Land Policy and Financing the City Transformation with Social Inclusion Future City Series, Vol. 13

This book highlights current concepts of Social Urbanism, the contemporary set of multiple and interdisciplinary urban studies that have emerged mainly from the complex realities of Latin American cities. The discussion that follows places special emphasis on public land policy and the innovative urban instruments developed in that region to promote social and territorial inclusion.

Critical reflections throughout the pages of this book shed light into the local context of each case-study in order to understand their specific set of challenges and opportunities. Relevant lessons are extracted from the three cities here analyzed, the medium-scale city of Medellin, the large-scale city of Bogota, and the megacity of Sao Paulo, as well as from local innovative experiences in Argentina and Uruguay.

These cities underwent promising transformation processes over two decades, applying planning and financing instruments of land policy which have produced significant shifts in the urban development paradigm in the region. The quest for social inclusion has emerged as the common denominator in these cities, awakening growing interest across several fields of urban studies, from public policies and city management to urban law, city financing, urban development, and innovative community participation processes. The book brings implications on urban land policy for transition cities in the Global South.

The question of social inclusion in Global South cities is however far from being solved; the analysis presented in this book shows advances and hope, besides a long path still ahead, which can only be faced through a continuous and challenging incremental process. May this book be an incremental step.

Foreword.- Acknowledgements.- Part 1: Concepts and Context.- Chapter 1. Social Urbanism in Latin America (Carlos Leite).- Part II: Cases.- Chapter 2. Medellin (Mariana Wilderom).- Chapter 3. Bogota (Fernanda Militelli).- Chapter 4. Sao Paulo (Carlos Leite, Tereza Herling and Nadia Somekh).- Part III: Instruments of Planning, Land Policy and Financing.- Chapter 5. Land Policy and Instruments of Financing (Claudia Acosta).- Chapter 6. Lessons and Challenges (Carlos Leite and Nabil Bonduki).

Carlos Leite, Urbanist, PhD (University of Sao Paulo) is Full Professor at the School of  Architecture and Urbanism, Mackenzie Presbyterian University; Visiting Researcher at the Global Cities Program and Member of the Research Group on Urban Space and Health, both at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Sao Paulo; Assistant Professor at PPG-CIS Uninove and Director of Stuchi & Leite Projetos e Consultoria em Desenvolvimento Urbano. He was visiting scholar at Polytechnic University of California (CalPoly) and College of Environmental Design, UC Berkeley. He was Director of Sao Paulo Urbanism public company, Sao Paulo City Hall. He is a consultant at international multilateral institutions and coordinates the research group on Innovative Urban Instruments, Land Policy and Social Urbanism.

Claudia Acosta is an Urban Law and land policy specialist. She has a Masters degree in Urban Studies (El Colegio de México) and in Law and Development (Fundacao Getulio Vargas); is specialist on Land Policy for Latin America (Lincoln Institute of Land Policy) and finishes her PhD studies on public management and government at Fundacao Getulio Vargas, Sao Paulo. She is consultant at UN-Habitat Latin America, Inter-American Development Bank, and at different Latin American countries on land value capture tools and land use and social housing regulations. She is Professor at Universidad del Rosario (Colombia) and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (Latin American program). She works in Sao Paulo and Colombia.