URBANISMO "PASITO A PASITO". VILLAS Y RECONFIGURACIÓN DE LA CENTRALIDAD METROPOLITANA EN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.

The article analyzes urban policy encompassing two districts originated as informal settlements -Villa 31-31 bis and Rodrigo Bueno- located in the coastal area of Retiro-Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires. The paper presents evidence on the ways in which "planning by means of projects" deploys a consistent "pro-market" strategic perspective based on great tactical flexibility; encourages simultaneous processes of "local production of the global" and revitalization of the informal housing market, both sustained in the privatization of public land; and reinforces inequalities at macro and micro scale. Research involved a mix of quantitative and qualitative methodological strategy, combining data from primary sources (25 semi-structured interviews with different actors, participation in technical boards, tenants survey) and secondary sources (census data and documentary sources). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]