Abstract

Social housing in Chile has become a space of growing interest in the context of increasing neoliberal and financial capitalism, even when historically it has been subjected to the logic of the real estate market. One expression of this is the production of social housing located in "desired territories". These territories are areas of high surplus value and high urban standards that have historically been restricted to poor households. A mixed analysis of two social housing projects built in some of Santiago's "desired territories" identifies how experiences have emerged that potentially position social housing within the financial circuit. The paper presents three findings; first, the growing municipalisation of housing policy; secondly, the importance acquired by the production of social housing in "desired territories"; finally, the early emergence of new stakeholders, processes, negotiations and mechanisms in housing policies to expand the participation of the housing market.