ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the main transformations that characterize the direction and reach of the urban metamorphosis that has affected the urban space and reconfigured the capital city of Chile for more than 30 years. The phenomenon really came into its own in major Latin American countries, including Chile. Chile was among the first countries to begin a radical process of structural adjustment, starting in the middle of the 1970s and following an orthodox version of neoliberal doctrine. The Metropolitan Urban System of Santiago (MUSS) case study allows drawing certain conclusions regarding the main trends that have influenced the growth of contemporary Latin American metropolises, with obvious differences and variations. The transformation of the city shows its evolution from an area configured during the industrial-developmental phase to a new geography of urbanization, as described and characterized by Brenner. The evolution of the population and housing construction described above allows researchers to infer a similar and corresponding transformation in social structure.
