Integración Social y Urbana (ISU) en el caso de los asentamientos autoproducidos del Gran Valparaíso, Chile (2011-2022)

Over the past decade, Chile has experienced sustained growth in self-produced settlements, commonly referred to as "campamentos," particularly in Greater Valparaíso, which is home to 203 settlements and 18,004 families (Techo-Chile, 2023). To address this issue, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MINVU) has implemented the Precarious Settlements Program (PAP) since 2011, using two intervention strategies: relocation, which allows families to remain in their settlement, and resettlement, which involves moving them to other areas and municipalities. Meanwhile, campamento communities have developed self-production practices as a form of resistance against exclusion. In response to socio-spatial segregation and urban inequalities, institutional policies incorporated the objective of Social and Urban Integration (ISU) into the New Housing Policy of 2006, the National Urban Development Policy of 2014, and, more recently, Law 21,450 on Social Integration in Urban Planning of 2022. However, there is no clear evidence of its empirical outcomes. Building on the above, this research aims to analyze the extent to which policies and practices implemented by public institutions and communities have contributed to promoting ISU in self-produced settlements in Greater Valparaíso between 2011 and 2022. Using a case study method and a bottom-up information-gathering process, the dimensions of ISUsociocultural, political, economic, and spatialare analyzed from the perspectives of both residents and institutions, as outlined in the theoretical framework. The results show that, over the past decade, the PAP has prioritized relocation, which, although improving housing conditions, has led to social fragmentation, creating feelings of isolation, dispossession, and neglect. Furthermore, it has denied families democratic participation in decisions about their location and habitat, weakened connections to the labor market and productive activities, and perpetuated inequities in access to essential public services and infrastructure. One of the main findings of this research is that ISU, from an institutional perspective, is addressed as a neoliberal aspiration focused on technocratic solutions without addressing the structural causes of exclusion and inequality. Conversely, self-production processes led by communities have proven more effective in meeting housing and urban rights more comprehensively, despite associated precarities and risks. In light of this, the research proposes approaching ISU as a complex, systemic, and multidimensional process. This involves strengthening interactions between different social groups by valuing diversity; promoting equity in resource redistribution through access to economic opportunities; fostering democratic representation and participation in urban decision-making; and ensuring equitable access to urban spaces, connecting people to the resources, services, and opportunities offered by the city. RESUMEN Over the past decade, Chile has experienced sustained growth in self-produced settlements, commonly referred to as "campamentos," particularly in Greater Valparaíso, which is home to 203 settlements and 18,004 families (Techo-Chile, 2023). To address this issue, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MINVU) has implemented the Precarious Settlements Program (PAP) since 2011, using two intervention strategies: relocation, which allows families to remain in their settlement, and resettlement, which involves moving them to other areas and municipalities. Meanwhile, campamento communities have developed self-production practices as a form of resistance against exclusion. In response to socio-spatial segregation and urban inequalities, institutional policies incorporated the objective of Social and Urban Integration (ISU) into the New Housing Policy of 2006, the National Urban Development Policy of 2014, and, more recently, Law 21,450 on Social Integration in Urban Planning of 2022. However, there is no clear evidence of its empirical outcomes. Building on the above, this research aims to analyze the extent to which policies and practices implemented by public institutions and communities have contributed to promoting ISU in self-produced settlements in Greater Valparaíso between 2011 and 2022. Using a case study method and a bottom-up information-gathering process, the dimensions of ISUsociocultural, political, economic, and spatialare analyzed from the perspectives of both residents and institutions, as outlined in the theoretical framework. The results show that, over the past decade, the PAP has prioritized relocation, which, although improving housing conditions, has led to social fragmentation, creating feelings of isolation, dispossession, and neglect. Furthermore, it has denied families democratic participation in decisions about their location and habitat, weakened connections to the labor market and productive activities, and perpetuated inequities in access to essential public services and infrastructure. One of the main findings of this research is that ISU, from an institutional perspective, is addressed as a neoliberal aspiration focused on technocratic solutions without addressing the structural causes of exclusion and inequality. Conversely, self-production processes led by communities have proven more effective in meeting housing and urban rights more comprehensively, despite associated precarities and risks. In light of this, the research proposes approaching ISU as a complex, systemic, and multidimensional process. This involves strengthening interactions between different social groups by valuing diversity; promoting equity in resource redistribution through access to economic opportunities; fostering democratic representation and participation in urban decision-making; and ensuring equitable access to urban spaces, connecting people to the resources, services, and opportunities offered by the city.