Neoliberal Urban Governance: Spaces, Culture and Discourses in Buenos Aires and Chicago

216 Pages·2023·5.571 MB·English

by  Carolina Sternberg

Neoliberal Urban
Governance
Spaces, Culture and Discourses
in Buenos Aires and Chicago
Carolina Sternberg
Neoliberal Urban Governance
Carolina Sternberg
Neoliberal Urban
Governance
Spaces, Culture and Discourses in Buenos Aires
and Chicago
Carolina Sternberg
Department of Latin American
and Latino Studies
DePaul University
Chicago, IL, USA
ISBN 978-3-031-21717-3 ISBN 978-3-031-21718-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21718-0
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To the ‘Sternbergers’ and Tiago
Past, present and future
Preface
As a social scientist, I am interested in understanding how space, govern-
ment, and state structure and policy affect urban marginality. My perspec-
tive has been shaped by growing up in Buenos Aires and receiving my
bachelor’s degree in geography and my master’s degree in public policy.
In 2006, I arrived at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to
pursue a Ph.D. in urban geography, hoping to expand the focus and
geographical context of my research. Aware of my roots and training in
the Global South, my academic advisor, David Wilson, encouraged me to
embark on a comparative study of neoliberal governance in Buenos Aires
and Chicago. The project drew me not just because it allowed me to make
sense of these two different parts of the world, but because it offered
a way to bridge gaps between the academic traditions in urban studies
between the Global North and the Global South. This book is part of
that journey, one that began after I was transplanted in the Midwest, one
that flourished while I was in graduate school, and one that to this day
has me dissecting differences and similarities between neoliberal urban
governance in Buenos Aires and Chicago.
Both Buenos Aires and Chicago have reputations as cities marked by
stark social and economic contrasts between the cities’ north and the
south sides. Both cities have been described as “two cities in one.” Buenos
Aires’s south side is widely considered one of the most neglected areas
in the city, marked by decades of disinvestment, while the north side
is regarded as privileged and well-served. Chicago’s southwest side still
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viii PREFACE
endures an imaginary in which it is disinvested, poor, and crime-ridden,
while the north side represents prosperity, vibrancy, and safety.
Reporters, urban scholars, and government officials have accepted the
grand simplification of both cities. Yet the broad characterizations say too
little about the historical legacies, political culture, institutional trajec-
tory, and economic structures that have shaped each city. People using
these generalizations are often part of a neoliberal governance structure
that relies on such imagery to pursue particular aims. They are often
not interested in better understanding the two cities’ stark contrasts and
inequalities. In this book, I examine the dynamics and place-based nature
of neoliberal urban governance in Chicago and Buenos Aires, which
largely explains the two cities’ stark contrasts and inequalities. Few studies
have been conducted that explore neoliberal urban governances in urban
settings on different continents.
Thus, the purpose of this book is twofold: to present a different story,
one of a nuanced vision of neoliberal urban governance that continues
evolving and is humanly constituted, and to contribute to the existing
literature in critical urban studies on the troubling impact of neoliberal
ideology across cities. As critical urban scholars, we need to continue
exploring neoliberalism’s many facets, interruptions, and shapes across the
world and in comparative perspective, to be able to tell the story about
this multitextured and restless social formation.
Chicago, USA Carolina Sternberg
Acknowledgments
I have been very fortunate to have benefitted from the guidance, encour-
agement, and support of numerous colleagues, family, friends (human and
furry) while writing this book.
This book owes much to all who contributed to bringing dreams of
this project to reality. My first agent at Palgrave Macmillan/Springer
Nature, Elizabeth Graber, for her encouragement of this project; my
book coach and developmental editor Molly Mullin for her unwavering
support; and the University Research Council, the Late Stage Faculty
Research Grant and the Center for Latino Research Fellowship at DePaul
University for financially supporting my research and writing.
I am also indebted to all my interviewees from Buenos Aires, including,
Lucrecia Bertelli, Soledad Arqueros, Pablo Vitale, and Eduardo (El
Hormiguero) for their generous time and patience; Florencia Rivolta and
Danilo Rossi, at the time staff members of the former Secretary of
Social and Urban Integration from the City of Buenos Aires government
(GCBA); Tomas Galmarini, current Director of Unidad de Proyectos
Especiales Urbanización Barrio Padre Carlos Mugica from the GCBA.
In Chicago, my compañeros of Juntos por la Villita, Teresa Gonzalez, and
John Betancur have also enriched this book with their valuable insights
and critical comments derived from their extensive community work.
My sincere thanks to my wonderful colleagues and friends at DePaul
University, Lourdes, Billy, and Delia for their immense professional and
emotional support. In this long journey, my family Enrique, Marta,
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x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Gabriela, and Sofia, and my close friends, Nuria, Vicky, Paula, Andrea,
Mónica, and Betsy, have been forever present.
I am also thankful to my furry monster female cat, Malena, and her
nemesis, Indiana, my sweet Brazilian Border Collie. Both have given
me the calm, energy, and joy I needed along this process. My sincere
thanks and appreciation to my Zumba instructor, Sarah, and her partner,
Jill, who have shown me how to “dance” every sentence, every Sunday
morning. I also extend my appreciation to my therapist Mihaela who has
helped me go through a rollercoaster of emotions and frustrations during
the pandemic and more.
Finally, I thank my dearest life companion, Tiago Tel, who supports
me unconditionally, and reminds me to drink coffee to change the things
that I can, and to drink wine to accept the things that I cannot change.
Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 Redevelopment Frontiers in Buenos Aires 27
3 Becoming a “Socially Integrated City” Through
“Creative Districts” 45
4 From Villa to Barrio 69
5 Neoliberal Governance and Chicago’s Southwest Side 105
6 Chicago’s Southwest Redevelopment Frontier: Pilsen
and Little Village 125
7 An Inclusive and Equitable New Chicago? 159
8 Conclusion: Comparing the Urban Governances
of Chicago and Buenos Aires 179
Index 199
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