About Villa 31

Surrounded by the main city port, train tracks, a highway, Villa 31 is probably the most emblematic “villa miseria” of Buenos Aires.

Home to between 40,000 and 50,000 people (half of whom are immigrants from neighbouring countries), it stretches across 32 hectares of federally-owned land. Despite being located in the heart of the City of Buenos Aires and next to Recoleta (the most affluent neighbourhood in the city) its residents live in almost complete isolation and lacking some of the most essential public services.

In 2016 the Buenos Aires City Government put forth a plan to socially and spatially integrate Barrio 31 into the city’s larger urban fabric. The plan also involves the provision of public infrastructure and public spaces, improvement of existing housing, and relocation of households living under the highway to new homes built within Barrio 31. In addition, social programs aimed at formalizing economic development and promoting social development are also being implemented.

About the work

Produced just before the COVID pandemic this set of photographs is an attempt to capture the conditions of Villa 31 prior to the changes to come.