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The Prospects for Progressive Culture‐Led Urban Regeneration in Latin America: Cases from Mexico City and Buenos Aires

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  • MIGUEL KANAI
  • ILIANA ORTEGA‐ALCÁZAR

Abstract

This article addresses the issue of culture‐led urban regeneration from a Latin American perspective. It argues that, despite limited government intervention, the democratization processes that many cities have undergone have enhanced the potential of urban cultural policy as an instrument to address economic, social and physical decay. Grounded on the cases of Mexico City and Buenos Aires, the article shows how highly contingent and contradictory processes of economic globalization, political democratization and institutional neoliberalization have led to much variation in urban policy. In this context, we argue that urban cultural policy is highly dependent on the intricacies of local configurations of power and the negotiation of policy agendas. As a third level of analysis, the article looks at one paradigmatic project in each city. These experiences reveal that cultural initiatives offer the potential to generate socially inclusive forms of economic and territorial development at both the city and neighborhood scales. Yet we also point out that existing fiscal and political constraints limit the extent to which they can be replicated and articulated into a wider policy agenda. The article ends with a discussion of the comparative findings and a research agenda to examine governmental and non‐governmental culture‐led urban regeneration initiatives. Résumé Cet article offre une perspective latino‐américaine sur la régénération urbaine à travers la culture. Malgré une faible intervention gouvernementale, les processus de démocratisation qui se sont déroulés dans de nombreuses villes ont renforcé le potentiel que peut avoir une politique culturelle urbaine en tant qu'instrument de lutte contre le délabrement économique, social et matériel. Basée sur les cas de Mexico et de Buenos Aires, l'étude montre comment des processus particulièrement contingents et contradictoires de mondialisation économique, démocratisation politique et néo‐libéralisation institutionnelle ont diversifié la politique urbaine. À cet égard, l'article affirme que la politique culturelle urbaine dépend largement des subtilités des configurations locales de pouvoir et de la négociation des programmes de politique publique. Se plaçant sur un troisième niveau d'analyse, il s'attache à un projet typique de chaque ville: ces expériences révèlent que les initiatives culturelles peuvent donner naissance à des formes de développement économique et territorial génératrices d'inclusion sociale, à l'échelon de la ville comme des quartiers. Il faut néanmoins souligner que les contraintes fiscales et politiques limitent la mesure dans laquelle elles peuvent se reproduire et s'articuler dans un agenda politique plus vaste. Pour finir, sont discutés les résultats comparatifs ainsi qu'un programme de recherches consacré aux initiatives (gouvernementales ou non) de régénération urbaine par la culture.

Suggested Citation

  • Miguel Kanai & Iliana Ortega‐Alcázar, 2009. "The Prospects for Progressive Culture‐Led Urban Regeneration in Latin America: Cases from Mexico City and Buenos Aires," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 483-501, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:33:y:2009:i:2:p:483-501
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2427.2009.00865.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cecilia Dinardi, 2017. "Cities for sale: Contesting city branding and cultural policies in Buenos Aires," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(1), pages 85-101, January.
    2. Pourzakarya, Maryam & Fadaei Nezhad Bahramjerdi, Somayeh, 2019. "Towards developing a cultural and creative quarter: Culture-led regeneration of the historical district of Rasht Great Bazaar, Iran," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    3. Albert S. Fu & Martin J. Murray, 2014. "Glorified Fantasies and Masterpieces of Deception on Importing Las Vegas into the ‘New South Africa’," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 843-863, May.
    4. Beatriz Plaza & Pilar Gonzalez-Casimiro & Paz Moral-Zuazo & Courtney Waldron, 2013. "Culture-led City Brands as Economic Engines: Theory and Empirics," ACEI Working Paper Series AWP-05-2013, Association for Cultural Economics International, revised Oct 2013.
    5. Liette Gilbert & Feike De Jong, 2015. "Entanglements of Periphery and Informality in Mexico City," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(3), pages 518-532, May.
    6. Laam Hae, 2011. "Dilemmas of the Nightlife Fix," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 48(16), pages 3449-3465, December.
    7. J Miguel Kanai, 2010. "The Politics of Inequality in Globalizing Cities: How the Middle Classes Matter in the Governing of Buenos Aires," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(8), pages 1887-1901, August.

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