Mobilizing legal expertise in and against cities: urban planning amidst increased legal action in Bogota

In the past decade, there has been a rise in legal action around urban policy and planning in Colombia. Legal expertise has been mobilized by a plethora of actors, including social movements, local politicians, NIMBY groups and individual citizens. This has resulted in legal experts and judges often dictating how social housing, transport corridors, public space, or waste management schemes ought to be implemented by municipal administrations. In this context, mayors and planners complain that the increasing involvement of the judiciary in urban planning drains local resources and undermines the power of mayors to set and implement the political agenda they were democratically elected to execute. In this article, we analyze the rise of legal action against urban planning in Bogota and conclude by proposing a research agenda for socio-legal and urban scholars interested in further exploring the potential implications of the increasing mobilization of legal expertise in urban planning.

Automated summary

Legal action around urban policy and planning has increased in Colombia in the past decade, with various actors, including social movements and local politicians, mobilizing legal expertise. This has led to judges and legal experts dictating the implementation of housing, transportation, public space, and waste management schemes by municipal administrations. Mayors and planners argue that the involvement of the judiciary in urban planning drains local resources and undermines their democratic power. This article analyzes the rise of legal action in urban planning in Bogota and proposes a research agenda for further exploration of the implications of increased mobilization of legal expertise in urban planning.