International agendas and local urban development. A review of the planning models and instruments adopted by local urban management in Córdoba city, Argentina (1983-2019)

Abstract

The Latin American city, without seeking to generalize its particularities, in recent years has guided its urbanization process mainly under the paradigm of "urban development". Thus also, similar urban planning models have been adopted in cities with dissimilar realities and conjunctures in the region. In view of this, we propose to review the main concepts and models disseminated in the last four decades by international organizations that have had an impact on the direction of management, policies and local urban planning while identifying how they have evolved and what impact they have had in rescuing those actually implemented in a case study. In order to fulfill this objective, a qualitatively based methodological strategy was adopted, alternating the analysis of documents with empirical research in the Córdoba city (Argentina) in the period 1983-2019. The results show a clear impact of the planning paradigms and the development models proposed by the international organizations since 1990 on local urban management, as well as the gradual but continuous adaptation of urban planning towards neoliberal modalities that ensure interference and capacity for action to business interests and actors.