The residential segregation is the territorial agglomeration of families belonging to the same social group, whether it is defined in terms of ethnicity, age, religious preference, or socioeconomic status, wich generates as a result, residential areas that are characterized by a high internal homogeneity and a strong socio-economic gap between them. In our country, the main dividing line is economic. In Santiago, 58.6% of households in Vitacura have high incomes and 3.1% are poor, while in La Pintana 0.5% of households have high incomes and 63.8% are poor.
The main reason for residential segregation is the high price of land in certain districts, especially those from the eastern sector of Santiago.
The military government (1973-1990) imposed a series of neoliberal measures that severely weakened the state, providing the private sector with urban planning, market speculation and release of the land. This resulted in the excessive increase in the value of land in some districts of the metropolitan area, whereas in the suburbs, values were kept low, forcing poor people to live there.
These actions had grave consequences because they perpetuated residential segregation, moved jobs farther away from the place of residence, and increased the frequency and time of travel, which produced an increase in pollution.
In conclusion one can argue that the urban planning policies have generally located the houses of the poor in the periphery of the city, because that is where the economic value of the land is lower, resulting in concentrations of segregated populations, mainly in the southern area of Santiago. In these areas there are problems with infrastructure and public services, relating to health, education, recreation, etc., to the detriment of the quality of life for those who live there.
I think that the urban planning in Santiago partly determines the levels of poverty, considering that segregation adversely affects the opportunities for the poor to overcome their condition. Moreover, residential location affects individuals’ opportunities to overcome their socioeconomic condition. Realizing this, we can assume that mitigating the effects of residential segregation can increase the chances to overcome poverty.
The main reason for residential segregation is the high price of land in certain districts, especially those from the eastern sector of Santiago.
The military government (1973-1990) imposed a series of neoliberal measures that severely weakened the state, providing the private sector with urban planning, market speculation and release of the land. This resulted in the excessive increase in the value of land in some districts of the metropolitan area, whereas in the suburbs, values were kept low, forcing poor people to live there.
These actions had grave consequences because they perpetuated residential segregation, moved jobs farther away from the place of residence, and increased the frequency and time of travel, which produced an increase in pollution.
In conclusion one can argue that the urban planning policies have generally located the houses of the poor in the periphery of the city, because that is where the economic value of the land is lower, resulting in concentrations of segregated populations, mainly in the southern area of Santiago. In these areas there are problems with infrastructure and public services, relating to health, education, recreation, etc., to the detriment of the quality of life for those who live there.
I think that the urban planning in Santiago partly determines the levels of poverty, considering that segregation adversely affects the opportunities for the poor to overcome their condition. Moreover, residential location affects individuals’ opportunities to overcome their socioeconomic condition. Realizing this, we can assume that mitigating the effects of residential segregation can increase the chances to overcome poverty.
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