Collaborative Processes in the Global South: Precedents and Perspectives of Collaborative Housing in Chile

Abstract

After decades of developing housing plans to battle housing shortages, unaffordability and housing deficits, it is observed that problems persist in Latin American countries. International research shows that in order to solve the current housing crisis, initiatives of self-organized and self-managed groups of residents known under the umbrella term of collaborative housing (CH) are (re-) emerging in many countries of the global north. In these housing forms, a high level of participation of the inhabitants prevails, which allows them to produce, design and build their own homes with the help of non-profit organizations. Currently, in both the global north and south, we recognize the interest in developing collaborative self-management and self-build initiatives as an approach to respond to housing deficits. However, in the global south, more specifically in Chile, theoretical and empirical evidence of the collaborative processes in the housing system has not yet been explored. This raises the following questions: What are the dimensions of CH?, What is the "collaborative" dimension in a Latin American context like Chile? What are "collaborative" precedents in the Chilean housing system? This article proposes the conceptualization of the CH dimensions and a study of historical precedents of what could be called “collaborative housing” in Chile. To this end, the article presented a literature review on the historical precedents of the Chilean housing system, interviews with housing experts and visits to projects. The article concludes with some perspectives and strategies on CH as a possible solution to address the housing challenges in Chile.