Biography

My research interests revolve around the social and environmental aspects of informal housing and urbanization processes in Latin America, especially Mexico City. Presently, I am researching the spatial governance of informality in Mexico City’s largest remaining green space – the 88,000 hectare conservation land located in the southern periphery of the Federal District. Before joining Carleton, I taught in the Master’s Programme in Urban Planning and at the Centre for the Environment at the University of Toronto, and in Master’s Programme in Urban Planning and Metropolitan Policy at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Azcapotzalco) in Mexico City. I have worked as an urban planner in Toronto and am a Registered Practicing Planner in Ontario and a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP).

Research Interests

• Environmental and social dimensions of urbanization in Latin America
• Urban sustainability and planning in Ottawa and Mexico City
• Informal housing and settlements in cities of the global south
• Spatial governance of informality in Mexico City
• Mexico City

Courses (2013-2014):

•  GEOG 5000  [Approaches to Geographical Inquiry]
• ENST 3000 [Environmental Studies Colloquium]
• GEOG 3023 [Cities in the Global World]
• GEOG 3030 [Regional Field Excursion - Mexico City, May 2014]

Recent Publications

Wigle, Jill. 2013. The “graying” of “green” zones: Spatial governance and irregular settlement in Xochimilco, Mexico City. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. Doi: 10.1111/1468-2427.12019 (first published online 23 May 2013).

Wigle, Jill and Lorena Zarate. 2012. “Realizing the Right to the City: From declaration to action?” Progressive Planning 193: 35-38.

Wigle, Jill. 2010. The “Xochimilco model” for managing irregular settlements in conservation land in Mexico City. Cities 27: 337–347.

Wigle, Jill and Lorena Zarate. 2010. Mexico City creates charter for the Right to the City. Progressive Planning 184 (summer): 13-16.

Wigle, Jill. 2010. Social Relations, Property and “Peripheral” Informal Settlement: The Case of Ampliación San Marcos, Mexico City. Urban Studies 47(2): 411–436.

Wigle, Jill. 2008. Shelter, Location and Livelihoods: Exploring the Linkages in Mexico City. International Planning Studies 13 (3): 197-222.

Wigle, Jill and Lorena Zarate. 2008. “State Support for the Social Production of Housing? Mexico’s New Housing Law Exposes Planning Contradictions and Challenges.” Progressive Planning, 175 (Spring): 4-8.

Wigle, Jill. 2007. “Planning in Unplanned Communities in Mexico City.” Plan Canada (March): 52-55.

Stren, Richard, Edesio Fernandes, Drew Wesley and Jill Wigle. 2005. Design of a Global Network to Develop Pro-Poor Land Tools. Nairobi: UN-HABITAT.

Graduate Student Supervision

Alex Copp (MA, DGES), (2013- )

Glennys Egan (MA, Institute of Political Economy, co-supervise with B. Rutherford), (2013-)

Andrea Carrión (PhD student, co-supervise with D. Smith), (2010-)

Chris Bisson (MA student, co-supervise with P. Ballamingie), (2010-2013)

Awards/Honours

• 2011-2014: Standard Research Grant, Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
• 2010: FASS Research Award for Junior Faculty, Carleton University
• 2007-08: Post-doctoral Fellowship, SSHRC
• 2003-06: Doctoral Fellowship, SSHRC
• 2004-05: Doctoral Fellowship, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Professional Affiliations

• Friend, Habitat International Coalition (HIC)
• Member, American Association of Geographers (AAG)
• Member, Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG)
• Member, Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP)
• Member, Latin American Studies Association (LASA)
• Member, Planners Network (PN)

Recent Conference Presentations

May 2013 “The spatial politics of land use planning in Mexico City,” paper presented to the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Association of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CALACS), Carleton University.

April 2012  “Spatial governance of informality: Negotiating the Right to the City,” presented as part of panel on the Right to the City organized for Fourth Annual Capital Region Latin American and Caribbean Studies Conference: Contemporary Development Alternatives: Social, Political, and Economic Transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean, Ottawa.

January 2012 “The ‘graying’ of ‘green’ zones: Informality and spatial governace in Mexico City,” paper presented at the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers (CLAG), Merida.

2010 “The ‘graying’ of ‘green’ zones: The production of informality in Mexico City,” paper presented at the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Conference, Toronto.

2010 “Informality as a mode of governance in Mexico City,” paper presented to the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Conference, Washington, D.C.

2006 “Social Relations, Property and ‘Peripheral’ Informal Settlement: The Case of Ampliación San Marcos, Mexico City,” paper presented at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Conference, Fort Worth, Texas.

2006 “Land, Shelter and Livelihoods in Mexico City,” paper presented at the World Planning Schools Congress (WPSC), Mexico City.

2006 “Land, Shelter and Livelihoods in Mexico City,” paper presented at the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) Conference, Thunder Bay.

2005 “Livelihoods and Urban Space: Exploring the Linkages in Mexico City,” paper presented at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Conference, Kansas City, Missouri.

2005 “Housing and Urban Space: The Case of Mexico City,” paper presented at the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Conference, Denver, Colorado.