La dinámica del ordenamiento territorial en Colombia : contraste de dinámicas urbano-rurales en la región metropolitana de Bogotá
Territorial planning is the result of diverse economic, political, social, cultural and environmental processes. The ‘territory’ is seen as reflecting the visions and interests of the actors who participate in its construction. In this sense, the main goal of this dissertation is to explore the dynamics that underly territorial planning in Colombia, in particular in the district capital of Bogota and its nearby municipality Soacha – part of the metropolitan region of Bogota. This dissertation analyzes three aspects that constitute at the same time the dissertation’s specific goals: the recent public policies for territorial planning that apply to the study zone; the role of social actors; and the new situation with respect to urban - rural relations that are present there.  The dissertation emphasizes the contextual elements that serve as the basis for understanding the recent transformations of the case study areas and their spatial implications. Different processes have been established in the new geography of the region. Globalization, economic transformations, new standards and laws related to territorial planning, new forms of participation, and the political decisions of the district and municipal administrations have contributed to the construction of this new order.   The theoretical underpinnings of this study highlight two perspectives or visions of the territory. On the one hand, there is the vision used and applied by the State in which the territory is understood as a space limited by administrative boundaries; and, on the other hand, the cultural perspective in which the territory is defined by its social appropriation and identity. However, a new approach is emerging, not only in Colombia but in many other countries, from the integration of these two visions or perspectives. The analysis shows how new social actors such us the “Territorial Planning Councils” (Consejo Territorial de Planeación) have been created as a consequence of incorporating a participatory approach into different public laws and frameworks. Furthermore, actors such as the peasants now carry out actions of resistance to stop or at least limit urban expansion.  The new patterns of urban - rural relations show that there is a significant diversity of activities and functions present in this very dynamic ‘frontier’ in which both urban and rural elements are present continually present but always evolving.
Bogota Soacha Territorial planning Territory Actors Public policies Urban-rural relations