DEVELOPING TOOLS TO ASSESS METROPOLITAN PLANNING CAPACITY

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is a significant source of financing for economic, social, and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. As part of its efforts to address the urban infrastructure gap in the area, IDB engaged a Capstone team in developing and testing an analytical tool to measure the institutional capacity of metropolitan authorities to support urban development. Based on a literature review, the team developed an analytical tool that was piloted in Guadalajara, Mexico and conducted interviews with members of the government, citizen advisory board, and civil society organizations. The team's research culminated in a synthetic literature review and a case study that outlined recommendations for the metropolitan area of Guadalajara. The project will contribute to IDB's future work related to metropolitan governance and urban infrastructure finance.