Urban Circularity and Knowledge Territories in Latin America: Governance and Social Participation in Sustainable Mobility

The intensification of urbanization and the environmental crisis highlight the need for new paradigms of sustainable urban development, in which mobility plays a central role. This article analyzes sustainable urban mobility initiatives in Latin American knowledge territories through a comparative framework that integrates Knowledge-Based Urban Development (KBUD) and urban circularity principles. Grounded in the Fourth-Generation Knowledge Territories (TC4) perspective, the study focuses on governance models and social participation as drivers of transformative mobility practices. Methodologically, it adopts a qualitative and exploratory case study approach, combining primary data from field visits with secondary sources such as legislation, institutional documents, and technical reports. Despite the proliferation of science parks and innovation districts in Latin America, little is known about how governance and social participation shape sustainable mobility initiatives in these contexts, particularly when analyzed through the combined lenses of KBUD and urban circularity. The comparative analysis reveals varying degrees of openness and limitations in urban mobility governance across the three territories selected (distritotec—Mexico, Parque Patricios—Argentina, and Porto Digital—Brazil). The findings reveal distinct governance configurations and degrees of alignment with circular mobility principles. Distritotec stands out for its multistakeholder governance and community-led mobility initiatives, reflecting efforts to operationalize the quintuple helix model. Parque Patricios shows fragmented integration between infrastructure improvements and participatory planning, while Porto Digital presents limited articulation between innovation policies and sustainable mobility, with centralized governance and low public engagement. Persistent challenges observed throughout the cases include the weak institutionalization of citizen participation, insufficient strategies to disincentivize private car use, and a lack of data governance mechanisms.