Bajos de Mena — a housing project built on the periphery of Santiago between 1994-2004 — is currently the focus of a recently announced multimillion dollar government project to regenerate deprived areas.
Despite having a population of more than 120,000, Bajos de Mena lacks a police or fire station, schools, good transportation links or even a supermarket. Housing vulnerable families from across the region, it has also become a hotbed of deprivation, social problems and crime.
To understand how a project, which cost millions to build less than 20 years ago, once again requires such a huge investment, it is necessary to examine Chile’s unique social housing policy.
Depending on the criteria employed, Chile’s experiment in farming out construction of social housing to private contractors is either remarkably efficient or a recipe for socio-economic segregation and ghettoization.
The paradox of this neoliberal social housing experiment can be summarized by two very different facts.
The first is the dramatic quantitative reduction in the numbers of families with housing problems.
In 1990, 30 percent of families lacked adequate housing — living in shanty towns or in conditions extreme overcrowding. That figure has now fallen to 9 percent, according to widely cited statistics.
The second fact, however, is that many of the social housing projects built during this period of accelerated construction are universally acknowledged as isolated outposts lacking basic facilities, prone to fires and often high in crime and social problems.
What, then, can be made of these two juxtaposed facts? With plans to spend millions on demolishing and rebuilding large quantities of housing, should the traditional privatized policy be seen as a failure, or was it simply a necessary first-step for a developing country trying to solve a huge problem?
Understanding the unique Chilean case, its successes and its failures, requires the history of a classic problem: how should the state house its most vulnerable citizens?
Provide Opinions about it in at least 50 words
From my point of view they are doing a good job, because they have to help the people and they are doing this; but the problem is that some projects don't go very well, because the people have to pay to apply for 'houses' and they don't have the resources.
ReplyDeleteI think the state have to help the vulnerable people giving they money, so more options to they can work.
Valentina Vargas
In my opinion this is other problem that confronts our country. I think that this happens because the government have much project or things by the style to improve the country, but this is not the problem, the real problem is that the projects were not finished and that is why is that a large amount of chileans have this situation. Those in charge of these jobs will be responsible of the people involved, who are paying the consequences.
ReplyDeleteThis is the reason because Chile has a problem of social housing.
in my opinion they are doing a good job,but This project is long term, Because this is not anything that it could improve. Nevertheless chile of to little to been improving the quality of life of the persons of low resources,But is question wherefrom there extract the money the persons of low resources to be able to accede to his own houses?I believe that the government should him take charge granting in a free way the houses to these persons,definectly This is a great problem for chile..
ReplyDeleteSalvador Henriquez
From my point of view, this is one of the more important problemas that has to be resolved soon in our country... I think these things happen because the government have another things to do, and they don't take the enough care about it. I think that the best solution for this, is that the government have to see what is happening, and understand finally that this is important for so many people in the country, because they are not receiving the enough importance that they deserve as an important parto of the country. I think that the president have to know about this, and do something to finally end this problem.
ReplyDeletePablo Vásquez.
From my point of view, if goverment is looking for changes for this social problems is very well, but i think goverment’s attempts to find a solution for social housing problems had a bad approach. Authorities must not focus their attention on spend a lot of money building new housing projects , but they have to include this marginalized people in the society, allowing this persons have best education and job opportunities , besides the goverment should create different ways to take out young people of drugs and delinquency. I think this is the best solution,it takes very long time, but on some years this problem will improve, because the problem is attended from root.
ReplyDeleteConi Rojas.
From my point of view,this project is bad, because they just have a home but any basic service like fire department , police, super markets,etcetera ...i think Chile's government should worry more polishing the project getting schools among other things,for so do not marginalize those who do not have enough resources.finally I think the government should give more importance to projects or problems like this.
ReplyDeleteI think here is a good solution for people who live, want to come and raise her family since this population was a hotbed of crime and drugs, and with this grant of 700 UF can buy another home, the government despite the efforts made still trying to get more vulnerable people living in the camps giving subsidies and social housing.
ReplyDeleteCamila Nancul Pacheco
from my point of view this project on one side is good because the people will have a home better than we had but on one side is bad because only be a home and will not have security, will not have firefighters in the event of fire, neither will have supermarket to buy things necessary for the moth, etc.
ReplyDeleteFrancisca Muñoz
i think the intention it's good, but the way they're carrying it out isn't much like that, they aren't giving dwellings with at least good basics services (just like one of my classmates said), they should put more attention in those problems that to me seems to be the most important ones. the government is supposed to watch over for every chilean having a good life, because we all need to live in a comfortable and livable place.
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ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view the Chilean case of social housing is very delicate, because government don't have important in this case otherwise Chile tries to solve this problem with bad houses or houses of bad quality, try have a good policy of houses but really they not delivering a house as it corresponds. They delivering houses of bad quality,small, uncomfortable and inappropriate. Although I think that the Social Housing Policy is something bad, Chile have a Politic and this is something.
ReplyDeleteN.Toro
My way of seeing things depending on the quality of life for some Chilean, is that any of the projects are very slow for the most vulnerable people in this country, we have reached twenty-first century and still there are camps or camping sites. The government must accelerate eradication projects of the people of the camps or campings sites and to give them a better quality of life in housing and in addition family unit.
ReplyDeleteIvanna Zamora Campos.
In my view as this is one of the biggest problems our country is exposed, which should be resolved as soon as possible ...
ReplyDeleteI think these things happen because they are so concerned about people if needed if not in the government cares about unnecessary things many times.
This is a problem that is a long time when it's time then take the necessary steps to help the people and the country that if needed
from my point of view I think they should build apartments and house of better quality, but even if you worry about them after delivering the houses, actually I think that the government should lower the salaries of politicians and invest more money in the population low-income, well that's my opinio on the subject.
ReplyDeleteAlfred Steven Gutierrez Ortiz
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ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, the government should be more concerned with the lower and middle class, because this is the majority of the population of the country, you need to worry about to establish basic services to the entire people to all the days of all Chile to be so much better than they already are.
ReplyDeleteBenjamín Contreras
From my point of view, I think that studies should be done to get people out of poverty marginidad and should be more aware, thus avoiding a multimillion investment to double.
ReplyDeleteIn this way, instead of spending money could invest in things most beneficial for these people, such as sports fields, hospitals, etc.
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ReplyDeletein my opinion the case of chili classical problems have been going on for different types of problems such as care for the environment and air pollution as due to mass mobilization are ones that affect the atmosphere more. also we find the case that concerns us much they are the victims, people who have no homes and live on the streets, which is why every morning when we woke up and went to the streets we find dumped waste, landfills laps given as that those victims use them to find something to eat.
ReplyDeleteSo I think the government should give more importance to these problems and improve the projects that are underway.
By: Natalia Miranda
Well, my opinion about this subject is that this problem don't have enough attention, is not just about have a confortable house, is about have an appropiate enviroment for the families that live in there. In order to create a good place to live are needed schools, police department, green areas, hospitals, firetrucks and so on. In resume, this situation have to get better so families have somewhere cool to live in. We were never goin to be a a good country until all our citizens fit in society.
ReplyDeleteNicolás Cruz.
In my opinion this issue is very important in Chile since many people that are affected and need the government to do something quickly to solve the housing problem, the isolation of basic supplies such as a supermarket and high crime is in places like Bajos de Mena. I personally think that the government should bring all those families in better housing and fix the problems that are, like putting more supermarket, hospital, fire, improve housing, etc.. That's my humble opinion.
ReplyDeleteCatalina Mayne Rios.
I bealive that Chile and the world needs decide everything about povernty, because everyone deserve an home, basic services like drinking water, light and gas and have a own house in a safe place. Chile is a country that is composed for middle and lower social class and we must do something abut.
ReplyDeleteBastian Gutierrez
I tink that in Chile, is normal see cases as the poverty of Bajos de Mena , because, the proyects in our country, are very slow, because planing a lot of proyects, and not always, benefit the most important and only worry the money,and leave of side the most important... the people, your basic suplies and your well being,in definitive, a best quality of life to the citizens of our country.
ReplyDeleteJuan Barrera
From my point of view this project was a failure, cause the government dont give importance to these type of project, for example the houses that they build are of a very low quality, and giving this houses to the people, dont solve their problems completely and its only a solution of short term. So i think that the government should improve these policy to improve the quality of life of the chilean people.
ReplyDeleteDiego Gutierrez Berrios
for my point of view everything that made the government is for me something "mediocre"
ReplyDeletebecause, well houses that do are not very normality is pecima people do not resist the cold, rain etc..
The government does not care about the people they say "we will do everything possible lie" this is a scam for people throughout Chile.
How many people are on the street and the government does not grab nothing.
THE ONLY THING THAT WANTS THE GOVERNMENT IS THE MONEY FOR THEM NOT FOR THE SAKE OF U.S.. "
sorry for the late Professor