Territorial planning and popular habitat in flooding areas. An approach to the arroyo Del Gato basin, La Plata, Argentina

Abstract

In Argentina, numerous policies have tried to revert the deficient conditions of popular habitat. Real estate speculation, financial capital, service provider companies, local powers and dominant journalism are some factors that make complexes state action. This situation is worsened in areas with critical environmental conditions such as metropolitan basins like the one of ‘del Gato’ stream, in La Plata city. This basin is subject to urban, rural and industrial pollution and different flooding areas have been occupied by popular inhabitants due to rising poverty levels and the mercantilization of land. Territorial planning norms and management in different levels are unable to turn around this situation given the correlation of forces that tend to favor the real estate sector whose other side is the technical and financial weakening of the local public sector.