Neighborhoodness territories beyond the neighborhood: Chile and Barcelona

Abstract

In the framework of the neoliberal agenda and its re-escalation policies, the neo-ecological conception of the neighborhood was assumed in the 1980s by various governments in America and Europe. From there it has been consolidating as a hegemonic conception of the neighborhood. This article argues, however, that the neighborhood is only one of the possible ways of structuring urban local relations. From a relational understanding of the neighborhood sphere, we assume that it can produce different lattice structures at a given time and space. These ve neighborhood geographies'will in turn produce various forms of territoriality. From this perspective, two cases are reviewed, one in Chile and one in Spain. In them, neighborhood relations cross the limits imposed by the notion of neighborhood and climb, weaving geographies of more complex relationships and territorialities with greater power to influence the urban. We conclude that a more complex neighborhood geography, which articulates different scales, makes social actors more capable of influencing urban governance.