LOS BARRIOS DE VIVIENDA DE LOS ESTRATOS BAJOS EN EL MODELO IDEAL DE LAS GRANDES CIUDADES LATINOAMERICANAS. EL EJEMPLO DE BOGOTA

The crucial problem of the Latin American city is the extreme shortage of housing caused by the mass immigration from rural areas. According to the common theory only a small number of the migrants moves directly to the urban fringe; the majority, however, takes lodgings as subtenants in the centre, in order to settle later on in the peripheral, squatter settlements. Only an unimportant minority succeeds in finding lodgings af the publicly assisted house building. A review of this model in Bogota yielded a totally different result. The illegal squatter settlements which are the dominating type elsewhere, are here almost lacking; instead, the partly legal quarters ("barrios piratas"), only physiognomically alike, take their place, that means, areas from large landed property lying close to the town are legally sold piece by piece and are partly supplied with a basic infrastructure. This system is tolerated by the authorities, whereas the establishment of squatter settlements is prohibited. Thus the "barrios piratas" cover almost 40% of the built up areas and give lodgings for more than half of the total population. On the other hand the achievements of the publicly assisted house building have remained at a low level; the lowest income class is not included. The central-peripheral directed intraurban mobility which suits the above mentioned model, does not apply to Bogota because of the dominant types of residential areas and their special constellation. As there is a lack of squatter settlements, well suited for direct settlement, and as the plots in the "barrios piratas" can only be bought after years of saving, there is nothing left for the interim (or even permanent condition) but housing in rented, often sublet rooms ("inquilinatos"). As it is shown in the above mentioned model, the centre as the traditional inquilinatodistrict, however, is able to accept only a small number of the annual immigrants. According to these reasons the mobility of the lower income classes takes place in all quarters, with the exception of those of the upper class and partly of the middle class. A main spatial direction is missing. The acquisition of property in a "barrio pirata" means, as compared with the inquilinato or the illegal status in a squatter settlement security, is a more favourable start for a higher standard of living, gain in prestige — in short, a social rise at the end of a rural-urban migration and intraurban mobility. This is an advantage of the ("barrios