Extending comparative spatial governance and planning studies to the Global South. Tinkering with concepts and methods

This chapter explores the potential of extending comparative spatial governance and planning studies beyond Europe and the Global North. Building on the notion of Spatial Governance and Planning Systems as ‘institutional technologies’, the chapter critically examines the dynamics that shape spatial governance and planning systems in Latin America, where high degrees of informality, colonial legacies, and transnational influences challenge established analytical categories. It identifies four key entry points for rethinking comparative approaches: (i) the persistent influence of colonial institutional frameworks and the tensions with postcolonial constitutional reforms; (ii) the role of international organisations in shaping national urban policies and spatial planning discourses; (iii) the importance of informal institutional configurations in shaping urban development; and (iv) the value of interpreting local practices as ‘repeated planning instances’ that reveal globally shared challenges. The authors argue that acknowledging these dynamics allows for a more grounded, inclusive, and theoretically plural approach to comparative planning. Rather than reproducing Northern epistemologies, it proposes a process of conceptual ‘tinkering’ that betters reflect the realities of the Global South. In doing so, it positions Latin America as a fertile ground for co-producing new knowledge and broadening the horizons of comparative spatial governance and planning theory.