Instruments of public participation in urban capital gains in an intermediate tourist city: the case of Bariloche, Argentine

Authors

Abstract

Currently, intermediate tourist cities have accelerated population growth, social and spatial fragmentation, and excessive speculation that distorts the value of local land. Likewise, their local governments depend economically on resource transfers from other jurisdictions, which implies a weakening of their relative autonomy from other levels of political decision-making and conditioning to fulfill their role as a catalyst for sustainable development. The aim of the article is to investigate the instruments of public participation in urban capital gains, from a conceptual and empirical point of view. We analyze two case studies in the city of Bariloche, Argentina: obtaining land for the new Bus Terminal and the construction of the Ñireco Bridge. The results indicate that, if they are well designed in their technical aspects and have legitimacy, the instruments contribute to obtaining resources to finance urban development and contribute to a more equitable financing structure for local governments. On the one hand, the local government obtains resources, not necessarily monetary, on which it can decide freely, granting it greater autonomy in urban planning. For example, creating value in privately owned land and appropriating part of it to be used for projects of public interest. On the other hand, by reducing the expected benefit of speculating with land, they regulate the land market positively. We provide useful empirical evidence for other local governments to apply these mechanisms and promote more equitable development of cities.

Keywords:

Bariloche, development financing, land management, urban capital gain