Contemporary Latin American gentrification? Young urban professionals discovering historic neighbourhoods

Abstract

ABSTRACTA process of urban metamorphosis is under way in many inner-city neighbourhoods across Latin America. The theoretical framework of “new-build gentrification” reveals the multiple dimensions of this process, which seems to be more prevalent in the Global South than in Global North inner cities, and involves specific urban typology and urban incentives. This paper explores the emergence of new socio-spatial environments over the last three decades in Santiago, Chile. Two examples—the neighbourhoods of Bellavista and El Llano—are used to illustrate how urban renewal has expanded through changes in the contemporary physical fabric as well as social replacement by “young urban professionals.” Analysis of these changes highlights the particularities of Latin American gentrification, including the distinctive mixture of public- and private-sector incentives to replace deteriorated properties and the subsequent loss of neighbourhood meaning and community identity.