More like the West: The Last Military Dictatorship, Urban Reforms, and Professional Protest in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1976-1983)

• In Event: Cold Warriors and Technocrats: Experts and Expertise in the Latin American City

Abstract

In 1976, a military regime seized control of Argentina and implemented what became known as the Process of National Reorganization, or simply Proceso. The armed forces saw their nation as under attack by leftist forces in the form of guerrilla movements and feared losing Argentina to a Cuban-style revolution. The most well-known aspect of their “process” is the Dirty War, the systematic abduction, torture, and murder of suspected subversives. While an appalling violation of human rights, the Dirty War constituted only one response to keep communist threats at bay. Military leaders also initiated an ambitious urban reform program in Buenos Aires in an effort to modernize the chaotic metropolis and to control the citizenry through control of this space. Urban highways, a massive green belt, and new trash disposal regulations profoundly changed the way residents lived in the city. Officials drew many of the ideas used in this program from U.S. examples, indicating a desire to be more like this Western nation that also happened to be an important ally in the fight against international communism. However, local professionals, namely engineers and architects, challenged these projects. Their main concern was that these projects did not fit the Argentine context nor respond to local needs. A prolonged conflict between these experts and the military demonstrated a sharp division in the applicability of foreign ideas, especially those motivated by reactionary policies. This paper explores the dimensions of this debate and exactly why local professionals strongly opposed the Proceso’s reforms.

Author

• Jennifer T Hoyt, Berry College