Desastres naturales, destrucción creativa y gentrificación: estudio de casos comparados en Sevilla (España), Ciudad de México (México) y Talca (Chile)

Abstract

Desastres naturales, destrucción creativa y gentrifi cación: estudio de casos comparados en Sevilla (España), Ciudad de México (México) y Talca (Chile) 1Jorge Inzulza-Contardo 2 e Ibán Díaz Parra 3 RESUMENEl presente trabajo explora el rol de los desastres naturales en los procesos de desvalorización y revalorización, declive y gentrifi cación de la ciudad central. En este sentido, se argumenta la importancia que han adquirido estos desastres dentro de las operaciones de renovación urbana y dentro de una lógica de destrucción creativa. El estudio de casos comparados en Sevilla (España), Ciudad de México (México) y Talca (Chile), muestran que los desastres naturales han sido claves en la desvalorización de los espacios centrales, tanto como en su revalorización posterior. Se concluye que más que un efecto mecánico, la relación entre desastres naturales, renovación urbana y gentrifi cación resulta un campo estratégico que puede orientarse tanto a operaciones especulativas como de carácter social. Se sugiere entonces que las políticas urbanas y los desastres naturales deberían ser parte de la misma agenda política, que contemple los procesos de reconstrucción en su amplio espectro. Palabras clave: Desastre natural, destrucción creativa, gentrifi cación, reconstrucción ABSTRACTThis paper explores the role of natural disasters in the processes of devaluation, and revaluation, decline and gentrifi cation in the city center. In this sense, we argue that natural disasters are key protagonists in urban renewal strategies, and are part of a creative destruction approach. The comparative case studies in Seville (Spain), Mexico City (Mexico) and Talca (Chile) show that natural disasters have been crucial facts in the devaluation of centrally located areas, as well as their subsequent revaluation stage. The paper concludes that the relationship between natural disasters, urban renewal and gentrifi cation is more than a mechanical effect, rather it is a strategic fi eld that can be oriented toward either speculative interventions and social approaches. Thus, we suggested that urban policies and natural disasters should be part of a same politic agenda, which includes all the reconstruction stages.

Subsidiary displacement and empty plots: Dilemmas of original residents and newcomers in the reconstruction of Talca, Chile 2010–2016

“…But such massive and rapid reconstruction projects provide opportunities for profit making, corruption, and political influence. In this sense, disaster events have a crucial role in the processes of devaluation, and revaluation, decline and gentrification of the city centre (Inzulza-Contardo and Dı´az-Parra, 2016). For instance, the 27F 2010 Chilean earthquake and tsunami left 370,000 houses damaged as a main consequence (MINVU, 2011).…”

“…In the case of Talca, as one of the cities with the most damaged city centre area, revised versions of national subsidies were relaunched by the State in 2010 for helping people to afford new housing. However, the displacement of low-income inhabitants (Letelier and Irazabal, 2017), real estate speculation and gentrification (Chamorro et al, 2011;Contreras and Beltra´n, 2015;EERI, 2010;Inzulza-Contardo, 2014;Inzulza-Contardo and Dı´az-Parra, 2016) have been reported in various researches.…”

Who Has Benefited? A Socio-Ecological Chronology of Urban Resilience in the Early Reconstruction of Talca after the 27-F Earthquake, Chile 2010–2012

“…Moreover, by increasing recent case studies from other countries of post-earthquake reconstruction including different territories such as costal zones [81,82], the universality of the method will increase; and a good start is including other global seismic territories within the "Pacific Fire Belt", with similar natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, or landslides, as registered in Chile. Thus, cases like Talca are relevant for planning, as the observed conflicts of institutional inter-organization [83,84], the stagnation of mobilized social assets, and the potential loss of communitarian capital could possibly impact the ecosystem sphere, which is also relevant to other intermediate cities with similar post reconstruction processes [85]. The observation of these effects should be considered for further research involving both socio-ecological studies and urban planning and practice.…”

Políticas de fragmentación vs. prácticas de articulación: limitaciones y retos del barrio como dispositivo de planificación neoliberal en Chile

“…transformado en un espacio relevante para los circuitos de acumulación de capital y reinversión de excedentes económicos con altas tasas de rentabilidad (Letelier & Boyco, 2011Letelier & Irazábal, 2017). La escala de las operaciones inmobiliarias ha crecido y, con esto, la capacidad de generar transformaciones en la ciudad (Sabatini, Cáceres & Cerda, 2001;Insulza & Díaz, 2016).…”