Socioeconomic And Spatial Integration Strategies for Lo Valledor Housing Area In Santiago De Chile

Abstract

Historical constrains and history of environmental degradation nowadays is clearly visible in fragmentation of certain urban areas and uneven distribution of wealth. Polarization is common throughout the entire city always because of economic rather than social emphasis of development . Pockets of wealth contrast with wastelands of uniformity, homogeneity, and mono-functionality, nevertheless infrastructure keeps hierarchical poly centric city structure intact, despite the fact that it mostly serves the central municipality of Santiago. New developments are mostly profit-driven and in most cases cause faster or slower gentrification, non-directly cornering the poorest to retrieve to less favorable areas. Neo-liberal economy where market deregulation, decentralization and privatization makes on of the driving concepts in the country, it distorts time and space compression map to disadvantage of the least fortunate, as 2 hour commutes become an everyday reality, and up to 30% monthly income expenditures on transportation. Uneven distribution is also evident analyzing facilities, connectivity, quality, accessibility etc., and socioeconomic segregation as an outcome of that. Quantity of houses is sacrificed over quality and integration, as of cheap land on which they are developed; despite all the pitfalls it remains rather affordable. Inadequate and structurally unsound urban structures occupy vast areas of Santiago naturally sharing quite similar issues. Social, cultural, and naturally, economic poverty because of lacking basic facilities. All in all, excellent connectivity, strategic position on metropolitan scale, lacking social cohesion and economic pressure of the surrounding projects (Bicentenary plan in the old airport, park Aguada) without a doubt are the most powerful factors leading to inevitable gentrification of the area. Even though this process brings better quality, it also causes local population to be displaced by higher income groups. Considering the history of displacement and current trends where least fortunate metropolitan dwellers relocate themselves towards the outskirts of the city – is not the goal to strive for. Improvement of the quality with a price of displacement does not solve the problem, but postpones/relocates it to somewhat different location. The project tries to envision an alternative solution that would enable the community to climb social steps hand in hand with rising pressures.