The unplugged
Efforts to integrate shantytowns are hampered by a lack of trust and money
METRES from the ornate facades and posh cafés of Retiro, one of the wealthiest districts in the city of Buenos Aires, lies Villa 31, a sea of ramshackle brick hovels with aluminium roofs. Villa 31’s central site makes it unique, but similar shantytowns, or villas miserias, are common in the Argentine capital. According to TECHO, a non-profit organisation, there are 56 informal settlements in the city.
Despite strong economic growth, the population in such settlements rose by 50% between 2001 and 2010. This is largely because many of the residents work informally, and are therefore unable to secure the documents needed to rent outside the villas. An estimated 10% of the city’s population lives in shantytowns.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline "The unplugged"
From the May 3rd 2014 edition
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