Rencontres LASUR - Neighborhood Cohesion and Urban Sociability in Neoliberal Santiago - Felipe Link [hybrid]

 

LASUR is pleased to welcome Professor Felipe Link from the Catholic University of Santiago, Chile, for a presentation on uneven urban development in Santiago, Chile. He will examine the various forms and meanings that ‘social cohesion’ can take in different types of neighbourhoods.

 

The session will take place in the LASUR lunch room on the 2nd floor of BP and on zoom.

 

 

 

This presentation examines how urban sociability and neighborhood cohesion are shaped by the transformations of Santiago de Chile under neoliberal urban policies. Based on two empirical studies in diverse neighborhoods, we distinguish between relational cohesion—involving social interaction, public familiarity, and neighborhood use—and symbolic cohesion, defined by identification with neighbors and a sense of belonging. Results show that high-income residents tend to express symbolic cohesion with limited social contact, while low-income groups display frequent interaction but weaker symbolic attachment. These patterns reflect the spatial effects of neoliberalism—segregation, densification, and uneven development—alongside everyday experiences of urban life. The built environment, including public space and land use, plays a key role in enabling or constraining sociability. By linking structural urban changes with micro-social dynamics, the analysis contributes to a more nuanced understanding of cohesion and community in fragmented metropolitan contexts.

 

 

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