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The present work proposes a comparative analysis of several renovation initiatives of the traditional centralities in Greater Buenos Aires under the model of Open-air shopping complexes. The paper starts with the origin of the concept and the first experiences in the USA and Europe between the 70's and 80's, in order to relate them with the circulation of ideas towards Latin America a decade later and, especially, to its reinterpretation and application in the Metropolitan Region of Buenos Aires since the beginning of the year 2000. The territorial distribution pattern of these policies, size and type of operations, degree of accomplishment, actors involved and articulation with other local public policies are studied as well. Based on this analysis, the urban image, the commercial profile and social practices promoted will be considered, as well as its scope and limitations in relation to the different forms and processes of metropolitan centrality, and its linkage capacity with other urban policies of territorial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an investigation intended to disclose the various forms through which urban space has been produced in Santiago's outer limits. With that purpose in mind, two settlements built by the end of the 1950s were analyzed following Lefebvre's theory of production of space (2013): La Victoria, and San Gregorio. They both constitute appropriate examples of emerging new agents in urban space in Chile during the 1950s, and of their ways of producing urban space in Santiago's periphery, methods whose objective was to gain State recognition as formal urban settlers, a status they aspired to achieve through a fair deal during the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach to local economic development proposed in this paper differs dramatically from the common practice of establishing patterns of presumed universal validity. Rather than proposing generalizations, this approach contrasts national ,experiences and tries to identify major options and dilemmas which define each particular experience. Absolute distinctions made by theory are not confirmed on local economic development practice, in which concepts and strategies erroneously considered to be incomparable seem to mix. The state of the art tends to indicate that simple recipes and formulas are not recommendable. Knowledge of local history, culture, institutions and idiosyncrasy could help to solve those dilemmas of local economic development which are indeed universal: the dilemmas of territorial competence, of private and public responsibilities, and of new sociospatial imbalances and ways of intervening in them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]