Ciudad Constituyente: The dispute for the right to habitat beyond the constitutional moment in Chile

In October 2019, Chilean social revolts deployed and conquered a popular ‘constituent power’ that shook the ‘constituted power’ and the institutional structures that sustain it: those that have always been in power, the same old ways of doing things, the status quo that never changes, and those structures and processes that have harmed our society so much and for so long. In other words, the social reproduction that has been co-opted by the market, and a deliberately unequal and unrepresentative political-economic system. The constitutional moment that Chile is experiencing invites us to reflect upon and mobilise what made us recognise ourselves in the revolts of 2019. It is a moment that opens up new doors to redefine life in the territories. During this political moment, new platforms such as Ciudad Constituyente –a collaborative space for organisations of the people of Chile linked to habitat– have been created: a network organised upon democratic, anti-neoliberal, environmental and feminist principles. A collaborative space that seeks to move towards human dignity in neighbourhoods, cities and territories, with a focus on human, social and environmental rights at the centre of the constitutional debate.