State territoriality and socio-spatial analysis: A critical and applied review of the TREL framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14409/rdee.2025.1.e0064Keywords:
socio-spatial relations, spatial turns, state space, urbanizationAbstract
This article examines the theoretical framework TPSN (territory, place, scale and network) developed by Jessop, Brenner, and Jones (2008) as an analytical tool in urban and regional studies. Based on a critical review of the specialized literature, its applicability in the analysis of urbanization, governance, and the restructuring of state space is evaluated. In the context of spatial turns in the social sciences, TREL emerges as a multidimensional approach that seeks to overcome one-dimensional views of space. The study situates its analysis within the tradition of critical materialism and radical geography, with references to authors such as Lefebvre, Harvey, and Smith. Methodologically, a theoretical analysis is employed, complemented by empirical case studies, including the port infrastructure of Buenos Aires, the teaching of urbanism through reflective cartography, and metropolitan planning in Greater Rosario. It is argued that TREL provides useful tools for examining socio-spatial relations but also presents limitations, such as the possible rigidity of its methodological structure and the risk of reifying spatial form. To address these issues, the integration of complementary approaches, such as Actor-Network Theory and the conception of scale as a process of embodiment, is discussed. In conclusion, TREL remains a valid approach for the study of state spatiality and urban reconfiguration, although adjustments are needed to capture the dynamism of social space in times of political, economic, and ecological transformation.
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