Infrastructural Megaprojects Relationship between State and Citizens

Abstract

This research reviews three case studies where the State has faced conflicts with individuals and the civil society during the development of mega-projects, and it was developed for the Habitat III event in Quito (2016). The development of a mega-project is a socio-spatial process in which multiple rationalities understand and appropriate its space. The State as a technocratic entity becomes the promoter of a mega-project employing a discourse based on modernization where social conflicts are not recognized. The role of the State incurs a contradiction by having the responsibility to safeguard the rights of its citizens and at the same time defend the development of the mega-project. In the three cases analysed, the State is presented as a promoter of the mega-project, as a guarantor of the rights of citizens, and as the entity that legally institutionalizes the claims of opponents of the project.

KEY WORDS: conflicts, favelas, State, citizens, participation.

JEL CODE: H54, H76