In this paper it is argued that sustainability is a matter of collective choice. There is no definitive definition of what it means and standard procedure to achieve it. Sustainability is always ambiguous, and may be redefined in each context where it is applied. This feature of the sustainability becomes a matter of collective choice, where the results depend on the ability of society to solve common issues. To corroborate this argument is presented the experience of some Colombian municipalities in their territorial ordering. The public policy of territorial ordering in Colombia, for its multidimensional and long-term planning, is an ideal space to investigate the practice of sustainable development. The law 388 of 1997 requires municipalities to develop a land use plan, considering social, economic and environmental aspects.
This research deals with land use experience of a sample of cities in Valle del Cauca, Colombia: Cali, Yumbo, Buga, Cartago and Versalles. The paper starts from an exploratory question: how and to what extent has the territorial ordering policy, Act 388 of 1997, induced sustainability actions in the cities of Valle del Cauca, between 1997 and 2010? To answer this question we use an inductive and exploratory methodological approach. This approach demanded qualitative information, interviews and documentary analysis to reconstruct the interaction of actors in the process of collective choice. The ability of municipalities to deal with that was related to the characteristics of the relationships of those involved.
In Yumbo the territorial plan was favored by sustainability synergies between the local bureaucracy, the local government and the regional environmental authority. In Buga, one of the strategies of the plan was defending a sustainable rural sector. This initiative had a strong social base, but was weakened by the Colombian armed conflict. In Cartago, the plan was the focus of discussions about growth strategies of the city on the one hand and environmental controls of this expansion, on the other part of the environmental control comes from social sectors that oppose a the power of drug trafficking and corruption present in the municipality. In Versalles, the territorial ordering and sustainability results depend on a local leader and community participation. In Cali, the relationship between territorial ordering and sustainability was weak in its first application, currently such a relationship is inevitable and depends on the formation of the local bureaucracy, local academics and social movements.
