Urban Integration and Desintegration Forces: The habitants/users perception in a urban life quality model for the surroundings of La Plata.

DISCOLI, CARLOS; ROSENFELD, ELIAS; SAN JUAN, GUSTAVO; MARTINI, IRENE; BARBERO, DANTE; FERREYRO, CARLOS; DICROCE, LUCIANO

Cities between Integration and Desintegration: Opportunities and Challenges

ISoCaRP Editorial Board

Lugar: Estambul-Turquia; Año: 2007; p. 445 - 460

In the 1990s, Argentina, and in particular, the principal urban areas were subjected to the neo-liberal socioeconomic policies that gave rise to the polarization of the integration and disintegration forces at economical, social and territorial levels.Indeed, it was a challenge for designers who had a few tools to demonstrate scientifically to people what the situation was like. In consequence, work was aimed at developing a new methodology and a model gathering different aspects that interact within the concept of quality of urban life. This fact led to the analysis of demands for basic services and urban infrastructure such as urban building systems and environmental conditions in response to project objectives such as: i. study on environmental urban life quality (ULQ) at local and regional level; ii. integrate knowledge on urban systems with the environmental consequences of their dynamics, taking into account the scheme services of energetic infrastructure, of all services, their cover, as well as the opinion of users; iii. elaborate indicators of quality and social equity. Work was carried out on the basis of a multidimensional model which methodology has been presented at scientific and academic meetings (Rosenfeld E. et al.,2000), (Rosenfeld E. et al.,2001), (Rosenfeld E. et al.,2002), (Rosenfeld E. et al.,2005). The present analysis corresponds to medium urban centers at different scales and consolidations, in particular, La Plata city, capital of Buenos Aires province which was chosen as a model. This city has a consolidated urban central area, and a suburb of low dwelling density, and its population is over 650,000 habitants. This study was designed to go deeper into some operative and conceptual aspects with the aim of improving several components of the model, mainly the indicators of Quality Opinion on Urban Services and Facilities (ULQous). In brief, results show the survey done on satisfaction levels of needs and claims from different groups of the population associated with the zone. This work is part of projects developed by our research group (Discoli C. 2003) and (Pirez P., Rosenfeld E. 1997-2000).