Peri-urban and sustainability: “Campo La Cruz” between indigenous tradition and urbanization

Abstract

Located on the peri-urban area of Junín (Buenos Aires, Argentina), “Campo La Cruz” gathers the community of descendants of a Mapuche tribe settled there since the end of the 19th century. It is a settlement with housing problems, deficits in services and equipment, tensions over land and conflicts over productive practices. This paper presents partial results of a University Extension project that involves the Ñuque Mapu indigenous community of “Campo La Cruz” and various actors -state institutions, companies, NGOs-, cooperating and making common interests converge. From spaces for dialogue and from community demands, action proposals are elaborated to reduce inequalities, generate opportunities for social inclusion and sustainability.

Keywords:
Peri-urban areas; Inequalities; Inclusion; Sustainability; Indigenous Community