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Beautifying the Slum: Cable Car Fetishism in Cazucá, Colombia
Author(s) -
Álvarez Rivadulla María José,
Bocarejo Diana
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of urban and regional research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.456
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1468-2427
pISSN - 0309-1317
DOI - 10.1111/1468-2427.12201
Subject(s) - beautification , slum , politics , context (archaeology) , fetishism , tourism , value (mathematics) , sociology , political science , engineering , civil engineering , law , history , population , demography , archaeology , machine learning , anthropology , computer science
The installation of cable cars as part of slum beautification projects has begun to circulate among politicians, planners and residents as a magical solution that offers social and economic integration to historically marginalized urban areas. This paper analyzes the way in which a cable car project became a fetish for the inhabitants, politicians and planners of C azucá, a very deprived, abandoned and stigmatized area on the outskirts of B ogotá, C olombia. The highly positive value given to the cable car project must be understood within the specific local context without judging its ‘false promises’ a priori. The promise of the cable car in C azucá reveals at least two crucial political reasons for the current potency of such projects: a complex history of political failures and the political value cable cars have acquired nationally and internationally. We analyze how, for both residents and politicians, the mere possibility of a cable car awakened long neglected desires for visibility and created new ones, such as those related to tourism. They see the cable car as an ‘engine for social change’, a way to ensure the commitment of national and international funds, and a venue to brand the city on a global scale.