Project and social engineering. The debate on housing plan in journals. Santiago, 1930-1950

Abstract

Between 1 930 and 1 950, Chilean architectonic culture debated about the meaning and applications of the word plan. Using journals as the main source and taking the debate on the housing plan as the major case study, the article reveals the arguments used. As part of the historical narrative level, sociopolitical modernization processes and transformation in the discipline, the hypothesis formulated is that given its alleged capacity to anticipate collective lifestyles, the plan was understood as a strategic tool for the startup of a social engineering project which, at the same time, enriched the project instruments of architecture.