URBAN LAND POLICY IN SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE (2001-2019): CONTRIBUTIONS FOR A CRITICAL BALANCE

Abstract

This article addresses urban land policies as a key element to guarantee habitability conditions for the working class. With this in mind, the article analyzes the urban land policy developed in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, in the post-crisis period of 2001, in particular after the housing crisis of 2006-2008, until 2019, in order to make a critical balance of the lots with utilities production policy. Starting from a documentary and qualitative methodological approach, the different operations initiated by the municipal State are examined, taking into account the modalities of land acquisition, the forms of infrastructure financing, the recipients, and their form of organization, among other variables. The results of the research show an effort by the local government of San Carlos de Bariloche to provide utilities to 140 hectares of urban land, but they also show the limitations in its implementation. The work attempts to contribute to the discussion on the causes of urban informality and its relationship with housing and urban policies implemented by local governments in Latin America. The production of lots with utilities is a fundamental pillar of urban policy, but its research has been limited. As such, the article also tries to account for this gap in the literature.