Vertical Neighborhoods in Santiago de Chile: New Forms of Neighborhood Sociability and 'Public Familiarity'

Abstract

In the last two decades Santiago de Chile has experienced an important verticalization process, promoted by financialization in a context of urban neoliberalism, which has radically transformed the built environment in central areas, the sociodemographic composition, as well as the social practices and interactions of its inhabitants. Although the literature recognizes a low local sociability in neighborhoods of intensive densification by high-rise buildings, this paper proposes to consider the importance of daily encounters in the public space and the emergence of eventual links in everyday practices, thus expanding the notion of local sociability. Three vertical neighborhoods in Santiago, Chile, were analyzed through secondary data about their urban environment, as well as primary data collected through surveys, focus groups, and network interviews. The results indicate that, although densification by high-rise construction inhibits social interaction at a building level and deteriorates the formation of strong ties at a neighborhood level, in some cases, the daily use of public space and local commerce, as well as neighborhood organization, favor the emergence of public familiarity bonds, transforming the traditional idea of neighborhood community. Based on these results, we seek to discuss the social impacts of the processes of densification by verticalization, in relation to daily practices in the formation of communities.