The Social Production of Habitats. Case of “Bioconstruction Mingas" in Two Coastal Areas of the Province of Buenos Aires

Abstract

This article analyzes the relevance of “bioconstrucción mingas” as alternative community projects with the capacity to generate ecologically sustainable and participatory housing solutions. We carried out intensive fieldwork in the suburban areas of the cities of Mar del Plata and Santa Clara del Mar in the period 2019-2020, which supports this study. Within these “mingas”, occupations have developed that account for cosmovisions and symbolisms that configure a particular lifestyle that favors participation and community work. In turn, around the natural construction of houses, various activities are configured that promote people’s autonomy and care for the environment and their health in an integral sense. The groups that carry out this activity mainly consist of young adults from different trades and professions, both men and women. We propose this text as a contribution to the study of lifestyles in our contemporary societies, with their consequent potentialities for formulating public policies (health and housing, among others).