Spatial Planning in Paraguay: Between Political Fragmentation and Institutional Challenges

Abstract

The Paraguayan spatial planning system is analyzed through its legal framework, institutional structure, and implementation mechanisms, placing it within the Latin American context marked by fragmented governance and institutional inequality. Based on a review of laws and planning instruments at the national, departmental, and municipal levels, this study examines the system’s evolution, with particular focus on the period from the consolidation of the constitutional framework to the formulation of recent policies promoting sustainable development, decentralization, and democratic decision-making. The findings show a process of partial institutionalization, where norms and methodologies advance more rapidly than operational and financial capacities, resulting in uneven implementation across regions. Ongoing challenges include regulatory fragmentation, overlapping responsibilities, and weak multilevel coordination. Enhancing institutional coherence, prioritizing planning instruments, and strengthening subnational technical capacities are key to achieving a coherent and equitable spatial planning system that integrates international cooperation and translates sustainability and equity principles into practical dimensions of territorial governance.

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