The Lost Community? Public Housing and Social Capital in Santiago de Chile, 1985–2001

Manuel Tironi

International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 2009, vol. 33, issue 4, 974-997

Abstract: Abstract Chile has achieved a dramatic reduction in material poverty since 1990, in part through a massive programme of state‐subsidized housing that has almost eliminated slums, especially in Santiago. Sceptics assert that the improvement in material conditions has been accompanied by a decline in the cohesion and quality of ‘community’ in poor neighbourhoods. This article challenges this assertion, using data from a 1985 survey conducted in poblaciones (i.e. public housing dating from the 1960s) and a 2001 survey conducted in newly built public housing or villas. In contrast to popular wisdom, these surveys suggest that villas score higher than poblaciones in most indicators of social capital analyzed. Finally, this article contends that in order to comprehend the relation between poverty, space and community, more networked and decentred analytical approaches are needed. Résumé Le Chili est parvenu à une diminution drastique de la pauvreté matérielle depuis 1990, en partie grâce à un énorme programme de logements financés par l'État qui a quasiment éliminé les taudis, notamment à Santiago. Les sceptiques affirment que l'amélioration des conditions matérielles s'est accompagnée d'un recul de la cohésion et de la qualité de la «communauté» dans les quartiers pauvres. L'article conteste cette opinion en s'appuyant sur une enquête menée en 1985 dans les poblaciones (logements sociaux datant des années 1960) et sur une étude de 2001 réalisée dans les logements sociaux ou villas bâtis récemment. Allant à l'encontre de l'avis général, ces enquêtes suggèrent que les villas dépassent les poblaciones sur la plupart des indicateurs de capital social analysés. Pour finir, l'article avance que, pour comprendre la relation entre pauvreté, espace et communauté, il faut des approches analytiques plus interconnectées et décentrées.

Date: 2009
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