South from Puerto Madero: Urban Renewal Projects and Policies in Quilmes and Avellaneda (2008-2023)

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the southern and northern metropolitan conurbations of Buenos Aires bordering the Río de la Plata have been incorporated into a process of urban transformation of waterfronts, which began in the late 20th century with the Puerto Madero project in the City of Buenos Aires. Based on qualitative fieldwork, this article analyzes the public and private interventions carried out in the coastal strip of the municipalities of Quilmes and Avellaneda between 2008 and 2023. It explores the extent to which and how global guidelines supporting policies for the promotion of waterfront renewal are rooted in local contexts with distinctive characteristics. Although efforts were made in the southern part of the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA) to replicate and expand initiatives aimed at attracting large private investors, which were successfully implemented in the central and northern areas of the city, the socio-territorial specificities of these municipalities introduced distinctive features that led to new management strategies for these areas. Among these strategies are the creation of public green spaces with an emphasis on environmental conservation and remediation; the heritage recovery of a productive and nautical-recreational past; and, finally, the incorporation of infrastructure improvements and urban quality enhancements in the popular neighborhoods located in these areas.