The environmentalism of the neighbour: everyday life and local organising in water-scarce Mexico City

This thesis observes the neighbour relationship as a site of environmentalism. Focusing on everyday life and social practices, it works with a qualitative case study approach. It focuses on the Water Defence Committee of Santo Domingo (WDC), a neighbour-based organisation (NBO) that confronts the consequences of intermittent water supply. It works with three research questions to explore a) how and in what ways are urban neighbour relationships affected and reconfigured in contexts of water scarcity; b) how local, neighbour-based organisations contribute to the practice of urban environmental justice in contexts of water scarcity; and c) in what ways are neighbour-based organisations a form of social infrastructure, and how has the WDC generated a neighbourhood waterscape.

After presenting the conceptual framework and the methodological approach, this thesis addresses each question separately in its empirical chapters. It argues that water scarcity led to a redefinition of neighbour as a political identity and the pragmatic construction of the neighbour as an ally, with the WDC influencing this process. Using the concept of resonance to observe the consequences of protest, it claims that NBOs contribute to environmental justice by linking resonances to the relational reconstruction of place attachment. It analyses how organised neighbours generate a waterscape by contesting the infrastructural connections within it. Finally, it argues that NBOs can be observed as a form of social infrastructure because they enable recognition between neighbours on multiple scales and lead to recognising neighbours as public figures.

This thesis presents insights from the Latin American context and cities of the Global South, contributing and adding to discussions on neighbouring, environmental activism and justice, and infrastructures of water scarcity. It addresses neighbouring under ecological extremes as a theme that has not been the main focus of attention in studies of neighbour relationships or environmental movements.