Between the State and the Market: Geographical Resonances and Social Sustainability in Santiago, Chile

Abstract

The authors argue that the results of the post-1973 market-oriented urban policies in Santiago have been strongly conditioned by the Í€œgeographical resonanceÍ€, or spatial imprint, of the earlier state interventionism, as well as by the Í€œborder spacesÍ€ product of urban development between the citys poor areas and todays expanding modern neighborhoods and commercial areas. Urban policies have no simple or direct impact on the city as implied nowadays by the popular approach of Í€œterritorial impactsÍ€ of capitalist restructuring and globalization, or in the project or policy assessment methodology, that is part of the private and public forms of urban management. Geographical resonances and border spaces could even further paradoxical results, some of which are discussed in the article. The attention paid to these spatial complexities could provide better assessment of urban management initiatives and of the peculiarities of each city.