52
MISMA LUCHA, DISTINTOS OBJETIVOS: ESTRATEGIAS TERRITORIALES POR EL DERECHO A LA CIUDAD EN DOS CAMPAMENTOS DE TEMUCO, CHILE
IGNACIO BONDIS-LUNA, FÉLIX ROJO-MENDOZA, MIGUEL ESCALONA ULLOA
REVISTA URBANO Nº 49 / MAYO 2024 - OCTUBRE 2024
PÁG. 52 - 61
ISSN 0717 - 3997 / 0718 - 3607
The National Research and Development Agency (ANID) funded this article through the Regular Fondecyt project N°1231643 and the
Fondecyt initiation project N° 11200188.
Magíster en Planicacn y Gestión Territorial
Doctorando en Estudios Sociales y Políticos, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades
Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco, Chile.
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7187-228X
Ignacio.bondis@gmail.com
Doctor en Geografía
Profesor Asociado del Departamento de Sociología, Ciencia Política y Administracn Pública.
Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco, Chile.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5794-5652
frojo@uct.cl
Doctor en Estudios Urbanos
Profesor Asistente del Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales.
Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco, Chile.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7597-4868
mescalon@uct.cl
https://doi.org/10.22320/07183607.2024.27.49.04
1
2
3
4
Recibido: 20-12-2023
Aceptado: 06-05-2024
MISMA LUCHA, DISTINTOS OBJETIVOS: ESTRATEGIAS TERRITORIALES POR EL DERECHO A
LA CIUDAD EN DOS CAMPAMENTOS DE TEMUCO, CHILE
SAME STRUGGLE,
DIFFERENT GOALS:
TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES
FOR THE RIGHT TO THE CITY
IN TWO ENCAMPMENTS IN
TEMUCO, CHILE
1
IGNACIO BONDISLUNA 2
FÉLIX ROJOMENDOZA 3
MIGUEL ESCALONAULLOA 4
MISMA LUCHA, DISTINTOS OBJETIVOS: ESTRATEGIAS TERRITORIALES POR EL DERECHO A LA CIUDAD EN DOS CAMPAMENTOS DE TEMUCO, CHILE
IGNACIO BONDIS-LUNA, FÉLIX ROJO-MENDOZA, MIGUEL ESCALONA ULLOA
REVISTA URBANO Nº 49 / MAYO 2024 - OCTUBRE 2024
PÁG. 52 - 61
ISSN 0717 - 3997 / 0718 - 3607
53
The housing encampments in Chile represent urban marginalization in the country. Due to the limited housing options the
State provides, these settlements have historically developed forms of organization and struggle in search of their right to the
city. Essentially, these actions focus on self-management to obtain a place to live. However, despite sharing similar needs,
these groups show diverse forms of struggle. In the current context, with a growing demand for housing in the country, various
strategies these groups adopt to integrate into the city can be observed. This article focuses on analyzing the occupation
and spatial governance strategies implemented in two encampments located in the city of Temuco, Chile: Los Pinos and Los
Ripieros, through a qualitative approach based on the application of a social mapping to the leaders of both settlements and
the exploration of narratives related to past and future spatial governance. Differences were identied between these two
encampments. Although they share a contiguous physical location and emerged at the same time, the results reveal that, despite
initial similarities in urban development, there are differences in the motivations guiding their future actions. While Los Ripieros
actively seeks to inuence obtaining a permanent housing solution in other sectors of the city, Los Pinos chooses to get involved
within the framework of existing urban regulations to secure a housing solution in the same place. These ndings enrich the
discussion on urban marginality by showing that the struggles for space of excluded groups are centered on the balance between
rootedness and obtaining housing. The latter is vital for the state to consider when designing urban policies.
Keywords: urban marginality, informal settlements, social mapping, territorial planning, public policies.
Los campamentos habitacionales en Chile representan la marginación urbana en el país. Debido a las limitadas opciones que el
Estado ofrece en términos de vivienda, estos asentamientos históricamente han desarrollado formas de organización y lucha en
busca de su derecho a la ciudad. En esencia, estas acciones se centran en la autogestión para obtener un lugar donde vivir. Sin
embargo, a pesar de compartir necesidades similares, estos grupos muestran diversas formas de lucha. En el contexto actual,
con una creciente demanda de viviendas en el país se pueden observar variadas estrategias adoptadas por estos grupos para
integrarse en la ciudad. Este artículo se enfoca en analizar las estrategias de ocupación y gobernanza espacial implementadas
en dos campamentos ubicados en la ciudad de Temuco (Chile), Los PInos y Los Ripieros. Se utiliza un enfoque cualitativo
que se basa en la aplicación de una cartografía social a los líderes de ambos asentamientos y la exploración de las narrativas
relacionadas con la gobernanza espacial pasada y futura. Se identicaron diferencias entre estos dos campamentos, a pesar
que comparten una ubicación física contigua y surgieron al mismo tiempo. Los resultados revelan que, a pesar de similitudes
iniciales en términos del desarrollo urbanístico, existen diferencias en cuanto a las motivaciones que guían sus acciones futuras.
Mientras que Los Ripieros busca activamente inuir en la obtención de una solución habitacional permanente en otros sectores
de la ciudad, Los Pinos opta por involucrarse en el marco de las normativas urbanas vigentes para asegurar una solución
habitacional en el mismo lugar. Estos hallazgos enriquecen la discusión sobre la marginalidad urbana, al mostrar que las luchas
por el espacio de grupos excluidos se centran en el equilibrio entre el arraigo y la obtención de vivienda. Esto último debe ser
considerado por el estado, al momento de diseñar políticas urbanas.
Palabras clave: marginalidad urbana, asentamientos informales, cartografía social, planicación territorial, políticas públicas.
54
MISMA LUCHA, DISTINTOS OBJETIVOS: ESTRATEGIAS TERRITORIALES POR EL DERECHO A LA CIUDAD EN DOS CAMPAMENTOS DE TEMUCO, CHILE
IGNACIO BONDIS-LUNA, FÉLIX ROJO-MENDOZA, MIGUEL ESCALONA ULLOA
REVISTA URBANO Nº 49 / MAYO 2024 - OCTUBRE 2024
PÁG. 52 - 61
ISSN 0717 - 3997 / 0718 - 3607
I. INTRODUCTION
The concept of urban marginalization appears due to a
systematic relegation or exclusion of certain groups or
communities outside what is known as the urban center.
In this context, historical spatial marginalization has
negatively impacted the urban social fabric, precipitating
territorial stigmatization (Abufhele, 2019). This
phenomenon is derived from not only the accumulation
of poverty but also the presence of a punishing and
absent State (Wacquant, 2015; Perlman & Delgadillo, 2019),
exacerbated by the negative perception of these sectors
transmitted by the media and academia (Ruiz-Tagle,
Álvarez & Labbé, 2023).
However, its residents build alternative narratives and
meanings about the city (Pérez, 2019) by establishing,
among other things, informal economies to meet their
needs (Aceska et al., 2019) and self-management to
mitigate their marginalized situation (Pino & Ojeda,
2013; Cortés, 2014; Castañeda & Hernández, 2021;
Moreno, 2021). In this sense, the active participation of
residents in urbanization and the defense of their rights
have promoted legitimate and participatory territorial
governance models (Wigle, 2014), where the informal
habitat they occupy represents a variant to build the city
(Pino & Ojeda, 2013).
In this context, although irregular encampments, or
informal settlements comprising precarious housing and
without essential services, represent a spatial expression of
urban marginalization in Chile, they have a rich history of
organizing and fighting for the right to the city (Moreno,
2021). In this line, some studies mention that the residents
of these spaces act as active agents in the transformation
of their territories to be part of the city despite the
emerging vulnerabilities, job insecurity, and personal
and family challenges they face (Castillo, 2014; Imilán
et al., 2020). However, the political strategies employed
by the irregular occupants of diverse urban spaces
vary considerably, adapting to each groups particular
circumstances and objectives.
This article examines the occupation and spatial
governance strategies used in two camps in Temuco, Chile,
using the social cartography technique applied to leaders
of irregular occupations. Although these encampments
or camps are located contiguously and emerged during
the same period (2019-2020), each exhibits a unique and
differentiated self-management policy in addressing the
central challenges they face regarding housing and the
right to the city. According to Lefebvre (1969), the latter is
understood as the right to participate democratically in the
production and administration of urban spaces, allowing
a deeper exploration of how these communities actively
seek to get involved and exert influence over their urban
and housing environments. With this in mind, the article
aims to contribute to the discussion on urban marginality,
considering the reflections, strategies, and projections used
by the excluded” to win the right to live in the city.
II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Encampments in Chile and State Action
The Chilean State has designed different strategies to
address irregular settlements, which paradoxically have
often intensified the original challenge. The first effort
was the Workers’ Housing Law of 1906, which aimed to
stimulate the construction of affordable and healthy
housing. However, this law ended up encouraging the illegal
occupation of land in the urban peripheries due to the
chronic inability to cover the demand for housing (Hidalgo,
2010).
During Pinochet’s military regime (1973-1990), housing
policies adopted a neoliberal orientation, marked by the
elimination of taxes and the liberalization of urban land.
The market was considered the optimal agent for allocating
urban uses (Sabatini, 2000). This increased land value in the
consolidated central areas, making the periphery a viable
option for low-income families and housing policies seeking
more affordable land (Ducci, 1997).
With the return to democracy in 1990, Chile’s housing
policies maintained their neoliberal nature, but
focused on reducing the housing deficit and irregular
settlements. Despite a notable decrease in the deficit
and an increase in homeownership, the preference for
quantity over quality resulted in the construction of low-
quality housing in peripheral areas with limited access
to services and employment. This situation motivated
the initial beneficiaries of these policies to leave their
homes, generating two patterns of displacement: towards
areas with cheaper land and leases (Tant, 2017; Fuster-
Farfán et al., 2023) and better-located areas in the city, in
search of personal and family progress, which rejects the
stigmatization that living in social housing often entails
(Brain et al., 2010).
However, despite the Chilean State’s efforts to reduce the
housing deficit and avoid the presence of encampments
in different cities, the emergence of irregular occupations
remains a reality. Although policies are associated with
the camps, they still focus mainly on providing housing,
neglecting the dynamics of the social construction of the
space (Matus et al., 2019). This is essential to address, for