Fast-track institutionalization: The opening of urban planning best practice agencies in Mexico City

Abstract

The article explores the related concepts of best practice agencies (BPAs) and fast-track institutionalization. We define BPAs as agencies that have been inspired by international trends in urban governance, often opened within local urban contexts to implement urban planning best practice policies and programs. Importantly, we argue that BPAs often go through processes of “fast-track institutionalization”, meaning that in an attempt by mayors to showcase their effectiveness to their constituents, the institutionalization of BPAs is deemphasized. Through exploring two BPAs in Mexico City, namely the Laboratorio para la Ciudad (LabCDMX) and the Autoridad del Espacio Público (AEP), we illustrate how each BPA bypassed the capacity-building and public action processes required to build consensus on their importance within city government. We then suggest that fast-track institutionalization is one aspect that can eventually contribute to the closure of BPAs. We conclude by exploring how BPAs have created a site of contention between best practice adoption and local processes of institutionalization, eroding their ability to implement their mandates over the short and long-term.