Latino gentrifi cation and polarization: Socio-spatial transformations in peri-central and peripheral neighborhoods of Santiago, Chile Latino gentrificación y polarización: Transformaciones socioespaciales en barrios pericentrales y periféricos de Santiag

Abstract

© 2014 Revista de Geografia Norte Grande. All rights reserved. Gentrification and segregation are complex and controversial urban phenomena of social and spatial differentiation at global scale. Similar to other Latin American megacities, Santiago, Chile has undergone a rapid urban expansion with social disparities. Specifically, in recent decades, real estate development has modified the urban lifestyle in peri-central and peripheral areas, producing a geographical proximity between low and high-income residents that needs to be debated. However, these socio-spatial transformations appear to have lost sight of the original urban fabric, as well as people’s values and collective memories. Which typological and topological effects can be recognized in Santiago’s peri-central and peripheral zones as a result of these changes? Based on a contextual, theoretical and empirical analysis, we discuss the socio-spatial transformations of two neighborhoods in Santiago, Chile: El Llano Subercasea