Using references for the co-construction of knowledge:
technical cooperation for urban transport in Peru

The article co-authored by Jeremy Robert (IFEA), Quentin Marchand (PRODIG) and Lucile Boudet (CODATU) was recently published in the latest issue of the journal Riurba “Circulation of models, methods and references in urbanism”.

Abstract – This article interrogates the place of models and « best practices » in the development of urban transportation projects in Peru. It analyses a technical cooperation financed by the French Development Agency implemented in 2016, which provides a technical support oriented towards Peruvian authorities. Two cases of projects are discussed, in Lima and Arequipa. Beyond the transfer of turnkey models, the article highlights the mobilization of exogenous experiences by the stakeholders as well as their confrontation to on-the-ground realities. This analysis emphasizes the challenges that appear in the co-construction of knowledge and expertise proposed by the technical cooperation and based on multiple references. It reflects on the role played by international cooperation and the positions taken by the experts, as well as on how they are perceived by the local counterparts and how it integrates in the local (geo) political games. Finally, it highlights the difficulties in analysing the impacts of international and local cooperation, and furthers an understanding of the complex relations involved in the co-construction of urban transportation projects.