Right to the city ownership transfer in the integral reurbanization process of Villa 20 City of Buenos Aires

Abstract

This article describes and analyzes the approach to the ownership regularization process implemented in Villa 20. Located in the City of Buenos Aires, Villa 20 is a low-income neighborhood that has been developed by its residents over the last 70 years through a progressive and continuous habitat self-development process. Based on the knowledge provided by the technical managers responsible for the implementation and by the social organizations involved, the aim of this study is to present the complexity of the ownership regularization process. Moreover, it seeks to show the fundamental role that the participatory process played in developing new instruments and reaching agreements meant to gradually advance towards the issuance of title deeds. Special emphasis is placed on the lack of normative interventions designed to adapt the built construction to the current planning regulations and on the prominence given to the title deed as the only validated instrument for proving tenure security. The ownership regularization approach conducted in Villa 20 focuses on addressing issues not covered by regulations through gradual urban and ownership regulatory actions. By means of a series of technical, social, and institutional adaptations legitimated by the participatory process, the aim of these actions is to issue a variety of documents that certify possession in order to strengthen housing security, even though they do not grant full title deed status.