Renewal Without Gentrification? Towards a Critical Approach of Exclusive Urban Processes in Latin America. Cases in Buenos Aires

Abstract

During the last decade, a set of urban renewal policies has been taking place in some south-pericentral neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires City, an area historically dismissed by capital investments but also by the State. Based on a critical review of the concept of gentrification, this paper addresses the socio-territorial effects of the Economic Districts policy, focused on the Technological and Art Districts, both located in Comuna 4. The qualitative-quantitative methodology considers four fundamental dynamics: socio-housing structure, appreciation of the real estate and land market, renewal policies and local community networks. Among the results, an increasing real estate and land market appreciation is noted, showing no strong evidence of gentrification in some Districts. However, the socio-housing structure and the absence of Í€œanti-displacementÍ€ mechanisms in the current policies allow to confirm the existence of exclusionary urban renewal dynamics, which should be monitored due to future impacts.