The Dilemmas of Equity Planning in the Global South: A Comparative View from Bangkok and Medellín

Abstract

This paper examines equity planning in the face of growing adversity in cities of the Global South. The literature broadly addresses this question from the perspective of empowered social movements and/or insurgent citizenship practice. The actual experience of how equity practitioners interface with grass-roots efforts, however, remains understudied. Using case study data from urban upgrading programs in Medellín and Bangkok, we show that equity planners can be effective advocates to marginalized communities as they become embedded in local systems of trust. The paper also evinces the limitations and dilemmas planners confront in two extremely complex institutional and political settings.