Observatorios urbanos en América Latina: ¿observar o participar?

The goal of this paper is to advance in the understanding of the role of observatories, specifically in the Latin American metropolitan context, in terms of their ability to promote citizen participation using Geographic Information Technologies (GITs). The used methodology allowed us to identify different typologies regarding citizen access and use of the information about urban events, policies, plans and projects. The performed assessment makes it evident the fact that, in general, the role of these observatories is not exactly proactive or interactive, but one with limited ability to promote participation, spatial transparency and collective decision making.