Struggles for Sustainable Urban Development in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Here in the city the goods of civilization are multiplied and manifolded; here is
where human experience is transformed into viable signs, symbols, patterns of
conduct, systems of order. Here is where the issues of civilization are focused:
here, too, ritual passes on occasion into the active drama of a fully differentiated
and self-conscious society.
1. INTRODUCTION
Mumford (1938, page 3)
Cities in the developing world have come under increasing social and environmental
pressure. This has been the result of rapid population growth especially in Latin American
cities. Local governments and planners with limited resources are struggling with the many
problems of urban areas. Investment into public services such as water supply, transport,
waste management and housing has fallen far behind the rate of expansion of urban areas.
Failure to deliver these basic services has lead to environmental degradation such as air
pollution and water pollution resulting from traffic congestion, inadequate waste disposal and
improper wastewater treatment. Residents who are left outside water supply or transport
networks, or have to take up poor housing, suffer health and social consequences. Urban
development in many developing countries is far from being socially and environmentally
sustainable. Many states have turned to privatising public utilities in order to increase
investment into infrastructure and to meet the ever increasing demand. However, achieving
sustainable urban development is not just a question of good and innovative city planning.
Besides the technical solutions there are political and social dimensions that must be
understood for successful urban management. In Latin America urban governance often
seems to be dominated by small elites who allocate resources to stimulate economic
development for only a small section of the population. Economic efficiency comes before
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