Notes for a history of urban planning and architecture ‘from below’ in Argentina

Abstract

Urban planning and architecture ‘from below’ in Argentina, or practices that seek to think about and work in cities alongside the most vulnerable sectors, can be traced back to the 20th century. However, their roots are often difficult to reconstruct when investigating the history of current experiences. Professionals committed to these practices often move through alternative spaces, confront traditional professional institutions, formulate projects and programmes that often remain on paper, and accompany lengthy processes of community organisation and management. These characteristics, among others, make their historical reconstruction difficult. This article asks whether it is possible to construct a history of urbanism and architecture “from below”, starting from current experiences and investigating their diverse genealogies, local contexts, continuities and ruptures with the recent past, and the historiographical challenges that this implies. Based on an analysis of documentary and oral sources, the paper examines experiences in the cities of Córdoba, Mar del Plata, and La Plata. Drawing on these cases, the article reflects on the possibilities and limitations of historicising these practices and proposes contributions for their incorporation into urban history.