The case of Posadas (Argentina) shows the relevance of the urban environment for living conditions in settlements. The particularities of settlements are analyzed here, considering that the urban environment of their location plays an important role in terms of opportunities and restrictions for the quality of life of their inhabitants. Methodologically, this work is based on a multimodal and descriptive analysis, supported by interviews with neighbors and community leaders, and complementing the analysis with documentary information. The research privileges the importance of urban spatiality, exploring how social practices and processes are articulated from the space within the habitat of settlements and the surrounding urban space outside them. The main contribution of the manuscript suggests that, beyond the multidimensional problems of the habitats and the poverty of its population, the characteristics of the city space where they are located are the ones that most strongly condition the evolution of the settlements.