Pathways of Co-Production: Negotiations and contextual insights into Quito's peripheral urbanisation

Abstract

This study offers a detailed examination of urban habitat co-production in a semi-peripheral community of Quito, Ecuador, spotlighting a dynamic interplay of dialogue and negotiation between the Municipality and local communities. The stakeholders endeavour to preserve and evolve their ancestral territories in the absence of state support and amidst the challenges of formal urban development. Our research uncovers a rich tapestry of community collaboration, territorial disputes with the Municipality, and strategic partnerships with unconventional actors. Within this framework, our analysis seeks to provide nuanced, empirical, and theoretical insight into the mechanisms and impacts of co-producing urban habitat, against the backdrop of formal urban governance and community self-management practices. A comprehensive combination of desk research and field studies in a representative sector of Quito has delineated four distinct scenarios of urban habitat creation. This characterisation illustrates co-production's pivotal role in the nuanced processes of peripheral urbanisation, re-evaluating the virtues and constraints of participatory urban management and development policies. While aiming to foster state-community collaboration, these policies often lead to disjointed pathways, underscoring a multifaceted pattern of cooperative and contentious interactions that shape the evolution of peripheral urban landscapes.