Waterscapes and the Paradox of Growth

This chapter explores the paradox of growth faced by La Calera, where infrastructure development requires a critical mass of users to sustain itself, but an increase in users strains the capacity of existing infrastructure, resulting in shortages and coverage issues. The urbanization of La Calera has transformed it into a city-like neighborhood without the necessary infrastructure to support its population, leading to a dearth of desired first nature features and insufficient second nature interventions. Residents perceive this situation through the lens of environmental justice, as they witness the presence of water sources and community aqueducts while being wary of the state’s intervention to privatize and reduce their control over water governance. In response, longtimers and newcomers forge a shared third nature, aiming to protect the waterscape while demanding improved water services from the state. These efforts give rise to new coalitions focused on self-management of existing aqueducts and legal actions against the state. Interestingly, these coalitions transcend class differences, with residents leveraging each other’s resources and knowledge to improve water access. La Calera stands as a counterexample to infrastructure development in Latin American slums and urban peripheries, where there is homogeneity in class composition. Residents in La Calera employ legal mechanisms and popular actions to confront the state as they seek to obtain water services within the bounds of the law.