Trendy urbanists, innovation laboratories, and best practices: in pursuit of ‘progressive’ planning in Mexico City

This talk explores the role of trendy urbanists in best practice uptake within an innovation laboratory in Latin America. Trendy urbanists are the privileged professionals who aspire to be on the cutting edge of urban planning, frequently referencing the best practice policies and programs that they see as supporting livable and sustainable city building. Taking the case of the Laboratory for the City in Mexico City, this talk illustrates that the preferred policies and programs of trendy urbanists are reflective of their own privilege, connecting them to transnational professional knowledge networks that celebrate some best practices over others. The talk suggests that through relying on best practices, innovation laboratories are susceptible to fostering inequitable planning outcomes.