Abstract

These days informality is very much on the agenda. Alongside a wide range of political voices, academics proclaim the growing importance of informality across the globe. This issue has become critical, given that a huge proportion of the urban population today lives in informal settlements. As in most other Latin American cities, a principal way of accessing housing for the urban poor in Buenos Aires has been through the illegal occupation of land. This article traces the historical development of informality in Argentina’s capital, showing how national and local government policy and legislation have historically conditioned the emergence, location and shape of urban informality.