CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Since the 1970s, downtown areas in the cities of some central countries have gone through urban renewal. This issue has been widely analyzed in larger cities of United State, Cana and European countries but has rarely addressed in Latin American cities. Beyond that, gentrification is a reality also in Latin American cities en general, and in Buenos Aires city, in particular. In Buenos Aires, gentrification principally involves different movements (recovery of residential areas in the cities? central quarters and their occupation by middle and upper middle-income households and/or a reinvigoration of commerce) and stages of development in different locations and neighborhoods. Our work summarises the main findings of a longitudinal study which began in 1998 in the La Boca, San Telmo and Barracas quarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It examines gentrification through an analysis of the affected households? characteristics (socio-economic level, living standards and employment) in order to determine which aspects of their life styles make them vulnerable to displacement. It also scrutinises the residents? perception of change as well as the local and national governments? interventions that encourage such developments. Data collection involves a household survey in southern neighborhoods of Buenos Aires city, in-depth interviews to policymakers and community leaders and documental analysis of public programs. Our analysis shows that, since the beginning of the renewal process, working class households have seen their existence threatened by the increasing value of the properties where they live, and the added vulnerability for their families this entails. Thereby, renewal, at different scales and scopes, implied strain on lower-income population permanence in the studied quarters and important problems related to habitats.

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