THE CASE of RINCÓN DE LOS SAUCES, NEUQUÉN a Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School Of
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BOOMTOWN CHALLENGES: THE CASE OF RINCÓN DE LOS SAUCES, NEUQUÉN A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Development Management and Policy By Megan E. Cook, B.A. Washington, D.C. April 17, 2020 Copyright 2020 by Megan E. Cook All Rights Reserved ii BOOMTOWN CHALLENGES: THE CASE OF RINCÓN DE LOS SAUCES, NEUQUÉN Megan E. Cook, B.A. Thesis Advisor: Eric Langenbacher, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Natural resource boomtowns are communities that experience rapid demographic growth due to their proximity to natural resource-based projects and that confront a well-established series of challenges that strain local government capacity. The thesis aims to better understand the challenges faced by planners and policymakers in responding to growth in natural resource boomtowns using a case study of Rincón de los Sauces in the Argentine province of Neuquén. The town grew rapidly after a nearby major oil discovery in the late 1960s and is again anticipating a boom as Argentina looks to develop its vast unconventional oil and gas resources. Through a review of a variety of primary and secondary sources, this thesis describes the challenges generated for planning and governance by rapid, natural-resource based growth in Rincón de los Sauces and seeks to explain how policymakers have approached planning and management in this context. It finds that planners and policymakers have drawn on a variety of approaches to plan for growth including seeking to learn from the experiences of other towns, using a variety of sources to make projections, promoting flexibility and adaptability, encouraging community participation, promoting a central role for the local government and seeking outside support when necessary. Nevertheless, it finds that planners and policymakers have been constrained in their ability to effectively plan by rapid growth and external dependencies, limited institutional capacity, coordination challenges, inability to sufficiently control land use, and lack of prioritization of planning. Based on this analysis, the thesis concludes with several recommendations for improving planning outcomes in boomtowns. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to all who have supported me in this journey over the last several years: my advisor and professors, coworkers, friends, and especially, my family. Megan iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 1 - RESOURCE-BASED COMMUNITIES: SOCIAL DISRUPTION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ......................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Defining Resource-Based Communities ............................................................................................. 6 1.2 The Boomtown Impact Model: Costs and Benefits of Rapid Growth ................................................ 7 1.3 Community Development and Planning Approaches in Resource-Based Communities.................. 12 1.4 Historical Approaches to Planning in Resource-Based Communities .............................................. 15 1.4.1 Additive Planning ...................................................................................................................... 16 1.4.2 Holistic Approach ...................................................................................................................... 17 1.4.3 Comprehensive Stage ................................................................................................................. 18 1.4.4 Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 25 1.5 Planning and Governance Challenges in Boomtowns ...................................................................... 25 1.5.1 External Dependencies ............................................................................................................... 27 1.5.2 Planning Process ........................................................................................................................ 28 1.5.3 Implementation .......................................................................................................................... 30 1.5.4 Balancing Long-Term and Short-Term Needs ........................................................................... 32 1.6 Discussion ......................................................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 2 - OBJECT OF STUDY ......................................................................................................... 36 2.1 Resource-Based Communities in Latin America .............................................................................. 36 2.2 Case Selection, Research Questions and Hypotheses ....................................................................... 37 2.3 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 3 - CONTEXT AND RELEVANT PRECEDENTS................................................................ 43 3.1 Historical and Geographical Context of Argentine Oil Towns ......................................................... 43 3.1.1 Oil Exploration and Development as State Policy ..................................................................... 43 3.1.2 Oil and Gas in Patagonia ............................................................................................................ 47 3.1.3 Oil Activity in Neuquén Province .............................................................................................. 50 3.2 Comodoro Rivadavia ........................................................................................................................ 52 3.2.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................... 52 3.2.2 Urban Development and Expansion .......................................................................................... 53 3.2.3 Urban Planning .......................................................................................................................... 58 3.2.4 Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 66 3.3 Cutral Có-Plaza Huincul ................................................................................................................... 67 v 3.3.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................... 67 3.3.2 Urban Development and Expansion .......................................................................................... 68 3.3.3 Urban Planning .......................................................................................................................... 70 3.3.4 Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 77 CHAPTER 4 - RINCÓN DE LOS SAUCES: A CASE STUDY ............................................................... 79 4.1 Oil Activity in the Area ..................................................................................................................... 79 4.2 Urban Growth ................................................................................................................................... 83 4.3 Planning in Rincón de los Sauces ..................................................................................................... 87 4.3.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................... 87 4.3.2 Bases for the Creation of the Urban Nucleus of Rincón De Los Sauces ................................... 90 4.3.3 Urban Environmental Development Plan for the Locality of Rincón De Los Sauces ............... 94 4.3.4 Plan for the Territorial Organization of Rincón De Los Sauces .............................................. 101 4.4 Comments on Planning in Rincón de los Sauces. ........................................................................... 106 4.4.1 Approaches to Planning ........................................................................................................... 107 4.4.2 Effectiveness of Planning ......................................................................................................... 113 4.4.3 Challenges in Planning and Implementation ............................................................................ 117 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................... 140 ANNEX - INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .................................................................................................... 146 WORKS CITED ....................................................................................................................................... 149 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. The Problem Triangle ...................................................................................................... 9 Figure 2. Argentine Provinces