The right to the city from the perspective of integral habitat

The case of the Los Pulperosneighborhood (Las Grutas, Argentina)

Abstract

Comprehensive habitat is a proposal that aims to guide the production of urban space toward the rights of citizens, such as the right to the city, grounded in access to housing and land for the reproduction of life, to which basic rights are added (access to potable water, sanitation, mobility, food security, among others). This requires rethinking the form, function, and structures of the city in order to address the needs of citizens from a systemic and comprehensive perspective, emphasizing spatial justice in the face of major challenges such as processes of financialization, exploitation, gentrification, and others that, on a global scale since the second half of the 20th century, have placed the city at the center of capital accumulation. This work sought to conduct a diagnosis of the socio-economic issues that affect the comprehensive habitat in the Los Pulperos neighborhood, located in Las Grutas (Argentina). The methodology used was a qualitative-quantitative triangulation that included a review of local and provincial regulations, a Social Cartography workshop with the neighborhood residents, and surveys conducted using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The neighborhood population is exposed to health, environmental, and socio-economic risks. Significant conflicts of interest with neighboring areas over land use were evident, as well as a lack of action by the local government, which hesitates to acknowledge these shortcomings for fear of setting a precedent in terms of equity within a context of strong limitations for the replicability of such public policies.