Research Methodology

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Chile has had a complicated political scene from the sixties with various political ideologies taking centre

stage, and as a result has affected the availability of social housing. Throughout Chilean housing history,

its deficiency has remained a consistent theme. Chile may not be as sophisticated as Europe’s advanced nations, but its GDP grants the country a developed status. Today, “Chile is seen as a positive example

to the world, since its macroeconomic policies have proved to be solid and consistent and have provided undoubted economic growth to the country even at times of serious crisis in the Region” (Paola Jiron, M. 2004: 2).

As a once developing country throughout the twentieth century, policies have shifted repeatedly from

investments into the welfare and into economy. The correlation between political ideology and housing

has been evident within the case of Chile. The socialist era prioritised nationalising its industries and

increasing accessibility to housing for the poorest members of the community. Contrary to the neoliberal

experiment, when industries where privatised and housing provision suffered. Neoliberalisms inception

into Chilean governmentality was due to its reception by General Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. When

he sought out of aid from Chilean economists that were educated in the United States, The Chicago

Boys. This group initiated the first national experiment of Neoliberalism within policy making, which was

monitored from a far in countries like the US and UK. Ronald Reagan and Margret Thatcher have been

champions of this ideology and if it wasn’t for the perceived success of the Chilean economy, the world

may have been a different place.

Born in this era were Chilean nationals Alejandro Aravena and Andres Iacobelli, whom at the start of the

twenty-first century, founded the architectural practice Elemental and initiated their first social housing

project, Quinta Monroy. Working within the state and its tight budgetary framework, they developed at

the University of Catolica the Parallel Building scheme, an incremental building method of rehousing one

hundred families living within a shanty town development within the city of Iquique. In 2016 the project’s

concept was recognised by the architectural world and Alejandro Aravena received the Pritzker Prize

Laureate, the most prestigious award for an architect to receive. An award granted on the basis of its

social endeavours, whilst resting the notion of incrementality on the success of the project. Beneficiaries of the “half a good house” were forced to complete the construction of their homes with the limited savings they had, whilst shrouded amongst the heading it “gives economic opportunity to the less privileged,”

said Tom Pritzker,” (Phaidon 2016). Media outlets such as the New York Times and Archdaily depict an

alternative view to the scrutiny written by UCL academics Camillo Boano and Francisco Vergara Perucich (2016). Locating myself amongst the literature and articles available, have granted me the evidence to analyse the “social” validation surrounding the award.

To formulate an understanding from the historical frame of the subject matter, I’ve used various sources

of qualitative, quantitative and video research. Gathering the information on the times prior to the well

documented late sixties and early seventies, proved to be a challenge, as this was a period that was of

less importance to being translated to English. Journals written by academics, proved to be a valuable

source, to develop this information. Yet, the neoliberal experiment of Chile is well documented by authors such as David Harvey (2006) and his portrayal on neoliberalism and the crucial role played by The

Chicago Boys, ultimately shaping specifically Chile, and the world we live in today. Augusto Pinochet’s

dictatorship is a pivotal moment in history and has had an extensive variety of media recorded. As a

visual learner and someone who suffers from dyslexia, I was able to benefit from videos as a method of

interpreting this era. Although much of this period that is documented, highlights the atrocities associated

with that of Pinochet, it was instrumental to engage myself amongst the Chilean historical framework of

what has been decades of austerity and control.

For the purpose of research, purchasing Elemental’s incremental and housing participatory design

manual, gave me the first-hand account of the award-winning project of Quinta Monroy through the lens

of the architects. There are also selected case studies of the beneficiaries of the scheme that could help

situate myself within their experience. The manual also displayed a depth quantitative data in the terms

of budgetary framework that was unparallel to what can be accessed elsewhere. Also, it informed the

policy makers within the scheme, subsequently generating the focus of the chronological timeline of

Chilean housing history.

As the start of 2020 brought upon the world the unprecedented nature of Covid-19, areas of research

could not have come to fruition. I had planned to have an interview with a Chilean national to develop a

more first-hand experience on the housing crisis within Chile and the options surrounding the topic of

social housing. As the country went into lockdown, the universities facilities ultimately closed. Limiting

the ability to use the library and its archives for any further material, than what can be obtained from

CHAPTER

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LITERATURE REVIEW - DAWN OF NEOLIBERALISM - HOUSING IN CHILE (1960s -PRESENT) - ELEMENTAL