Browsing by Author "Iso-Markku, Elina"

This thesis digs deep into patterns of urban service distribution among the residents of different neighbourhoods in the city of Villahermosa in Southeastern Mexico. Urban research has for a long time debated whether services offered in poor neighbourhoods are of worse quality than those in other areas. Using political ecology as its theoretical framework, this thesis identifies processes that influence the quality of public and private services as well as the residents’ access to them in different areas of Villahermosa. Political ecology addresses power in relation to environmental issues as well as the differential effects of environmental variables on different groups. This study was conducted in one low income, one middle income, and one high income residential area in the city of Villahermosa. The data was collected through semi-structured, thematic resident interviews. The positioning of the residents in terms of infrastructure and basic services, their sphere of life in the city, as well as their social organisation, and their power to influence the quality of services were addressed. It was found that the variance in the quality of and access to services is partly linked to neighbourhood level differences deriving from the different conditions of each area, as well as to resource allocation, service providers’ work, and residents’ material assets. However, a powerful role is played by the general trend of privatisation of services, which makes the residents see the quality of services mostly as a question of economic resources at their disposal. Together with the media, this affects the residents’ perception of their position and power inside the city. This thesis is part of a research project between the University of Helsinki and the Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco. The focus of the research project is on environmental risks and vulnerabilities, and on the new forms of urban environmental governance in the state of Tabasco, Mexico.