Water, State and the City

The book investigates the complexity of the Latin American mega cities and the multiple commitments of the apparatus of the state with a focus on the failures of the public water sector. It offers an innovative interpretation of large-scale urbanization, one of the most challenging questions affecting Latin American governments and society. The author offers an innovative interpretation of large-scale urbanization, which is one of the most challenging questions affecting Latin American governments and society. He addresses the interconnections between large scale urbanization, disputes in and around the state apparatus and the persistent failures of public water services. The discussion is informed by the analysis of the concrete experience of urbanization and water conflicts in Mexico City, Lima and Rio de Janeiro. The analysis of urban water issues helps to demonstrate the politicized and constantly evolving organization and functioning of the state apparatus. Empirical results show that recent policies and investment programmes have tried to conceal the ideological and class-based goals of politico-economic reforms. Consequently, the author argues that, for meaningful alternatives to urban inequalities, we require not only a critical understanding of the connections between past and present, but also between personal and interpersonal attitudes on national and international scales of interaction Front Matter....Pages i-xii State, Water and the Production of the Latin American City....Pages 1-10 The Exclusionary City, Political Statehood and a Thirsty Population....Pages 11-45 National Development and Urban Water Demands through the Mexican Capital City....Pages 46-74 The Urbanisation of Lima, Neoliberal Reforms and Water-Related Tensions....Pages 75-107 Water Problems and Conflicting Water Values in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region....Pages 108-139 About the City, Water and the State: The Way Forward....Pages 140-147 Back Matter....Pages 148-151