Territory, sustainability, and beyond: Latin American urbanization through a political ecology

Abstract

In this article, I identify how territory is a useful concept to explore the political ecologies of urbanization. In the Latin America region, territory is a key concept to explore urban and rural connections between (neo)extractivism, violence, and dispossession, with socio-ecological transformations in the configuration of urban spatialities. Following recent calls to re-locate both urban theory and political ecology beyond the Anglophone debate, the article proposes a dialogue between the Latin American theorization on territory and the political ecology of urbanization. Based on an empirical analysis of urbanization in Bogotá, Colombia, the article also discusses implications for urban justice with respect to territory and sustainability. Finally, the article offers some remarks to further the research agenda on the political ecology of urbanization with a focus on territory.