Neighborhood changes as a consequence of the arrival of university students in two areas of Concepción - Chile

Abstract

This article analyzes and interprets the changes produced in the neighborhoods of Aguita de la Perdiz and Las Tres Pascualas (Concepcion – Chile) as a consequence of the arrival of university students. While international studies have recently mentioned the importance of studentification as trigger of physical, social, economic and cultural effects in traditional residential neighborhoods, Latin-American contributions on this topic are still few. From these premises, this paper aims to analyze the phenomenon of studentification by emphasizing the dissolution of community links, the economic heterogeneization of the neighborhood and the creation of a specific real estate market for the student sector as the main dynamics produced by their arrival and as facts that could be connected to economic policies of housing. In order to do so, the article employs a methodology based on combined quantitative and qualitative data from a fieldwork-based survey. Outcomes confirm the existence of common elements with other study cases, that, together with other specific ones, are explainable by the origins of both neighborhoods.