The social division of space in a neoliberal city: the case of Medellin (2005- 2018)

Abstract

Hidden under the marketed 'Medellín model' lie some processes and patterns of social division of space little critically evaluated. The objective of the article is to inquire about the main changes in the patterns of class, gender, and ethnic differentiation - from its ethno-racial, ethno-cultural and ethno-national forms - that occurred between 2005 and 2018 in Medellín. For this, an analysis of social maps and a syntheses scheme are carried out that, although it is similar to the models of the Latin American city, is a socio-spatial diorama. Both the analysis and the synthesis make it possible to demonstrate the traces of the neoliberalization process in various areas of social and urban life, particularly a worsening of the zonal patterns of class segregation and the emergence of fragmentation nuclei. Thus, it is possible to demonstrate different articulations between the cleavages of class, gender and ethnicity that have been little studied in the city.

Keywords:
segregation; class; neoliberalism; Medellín