The outsourced planning of active mobility systems in Caracas: planning professionals’ insights on the power of consultants

This article discusses the power that consultants wield in the planning of active mobility systems in Caracas, Venezuela. It asks whether the major role that consultants play should be understood as a case of ‘consultocracy’, where reliance on external expertise undermines the legitimacy of public governance. Consultants in Caracas often frame their work in terms of serving the public interest, mediating between antagonistic actors and keeping long-term planning alive in an unstable political environment. Nonetheless, their position remains precarious: consultants are often torn between public interest, sectoral interests and the pressures of ensuring their own survival on the market.