villa 31

Villa 31, sometimes called Barrio Padre Mugica or Barrio 31, is a large villa miseria (slum) in the Retiro area of Buenos Aires, near the local railway station. Its population is about 40,000 inhabitants, many of them immigrants from Paraguay or Bolivia. Most are under the age of 40 years old.The first record of the slum is from 1932, when some immigrants and workers started to occupy the zone due to its proximity to the Port of Buenos Aires after the effects of the Great Depression in Argentina. The slum was a refuge for lower class people, who came from the rest of Argentina, especially the northern parts of the country. The slum also drew immigrants from neighboring countries. This has become a key characteristic of the slum.The slum is a symbol of inequality of the country because is near the most exclusives zones of Buenos Aires, like Recoleta and the most valued sector of Retiro. Successive governments tried to evict the zone without results for decades, sometimes resulting in the growth of the area. The opposition to the eviction of Villa 31 was represented by some left organizations and groups of inhabitants. After a long discussion and debates, the Government of Buenos Aires recognized the legality and ownership of the inhabitants of the slum.The city council planned to renovate the area by 2020, by improving housing, offering the opportunity for people to become homeowners and connecting electricity, water and sewage facilities. The $320 million plan, financed by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, aimed to resettle squatters into 1,350 new homes. At least 30% of the residents were concerned that they would not be rehoused.

View More On Wikipedia.org