Post-disaster urban relegation experiences. The case of the victims of the great fire in Valparaíso 2014

Abstract

After the 2014 mega fire that affected the hills of Valparaíso, several inhabitants were relocated to other localities within the region, as part of the reconstruction process. This article explores the experiences of relocation of a group of impoverished families in the city of Villa Alemana, whose stories and meanings show processes of social and urban relegation. Based on a qualitative research conducted over two years with the relocated population group - which considered in-depth interviews, moving interviews and participant observation - it is argued that, in the context of a viviendista housing policy like the Chilean one, the post-disaster relocation has as result the sharpening of the subjective harmful effects derived from the condition of victim. This is evident in four main dimensions: (1) feeling of abandonment of the State; (2) socio-territorial stigmatization; (3) neighborhood sociability; and (4) diminishing of space capital. Finally, it concludes on the subjective damage produced by the processes of post-disaster relegation and its link with the public policy of reconstruction.