¿Ausencia o abandono del Estado? Análisis de las prácticas de regeneración urbana en sectores populares de la ciudad de Santiago

Abstract

Given the accumulation of problems of coexistence, insecurity and violence detected in the so-called “vulnerable” and “critical” neighborhoods of the city of Santiago, certain specialized literature has come to the conclusion that it is the absence of the State that would explain the situations. more complex that affect the social integration and quality of life of the inhabitants. In this context, this article problematizes this thesis, generating an analysis of the urban regeneration strategies that have been developed since the 2000s in our country, examining the experience of professionals who have been linked daily with the popular sectors. In particular, the article allows us to visualize three elements that the thesis of the absence of the State has not sufficiently addressed: a) the deep institutional distrust that the inhabitants express regarding intervention initiatives; b) the trust production strategies that intervention initiatives must develop; c) institutional abandonment that would operate as an effect of a tense but historical relationship between the State and the popular sectors. The article concludes that the perspective of “institutional abandonment” allows for a more complex understanding of the phenomenon, making it possible to historicize the difficulties experienced, while offering the possibility of asking ourselves about the type of society that guides the State’s initiatives.