Towards a post-neoliberal policy of neighborhood regeneration of the pre-dictatorship in Chile.

Hacia una política posneoliberal de regeneración de barrios de la predictadura en Chile

Recent studies about housing policies in Chile focus those which are part of the economic and institutional reforms implemented by the military regime from the late 70’s, and their consequences: the relegation of lower-income population to urban outskirts, far from their networks, the poor quality of housing, social and spatial segregation and, regarding financing, an increasingly concentrated real estate sector, with growing control of urban land and increasing competition for housing production in deregulated pericentral areas well served by public transportation (Cattaneo, 2011). This article focuses on vast urban areas made of neighborhoods built through social housing policies between 1960 and 1973, in the context of massive social and political movements, which have been less studied recently. After 60 years, these areas include a significant amount of housing units counted as part of the qualitative and quantitative housing deficit and are subject to new public policies. Our hypothesis is that these areas have the potential to undergo urban regeneration processes that may challenge the foundations of current policies. However, this possibility challenges the market players and therefore requires social actors having a strong capacity for political and social action.