Territorial Stigma: The (Un)Likable Governance by Strata in Bogota

Abstract

Stratification in Bogota is justified by social policy arguments even if this naturalized concept fosters clear segregation through the price of public services or real estate. Is Bogota’s stratification a territorial stigma system? This paper argues that city stratification is a resilient territorial stigma system because its questioning from “below” reinforces this control device designed from “above”. Findings from press reviews and interviews suggest that Bogota is in a “stratum trap” since governance by segregation also reinforces and legitimizes territorial stigmas. Despite all of this, it appears that all social actors have found strategies to make stratification work in their own interests.