Resumen

ANTILLANO, Andrés. The struggle for the recognition and inclusion of the ‘barrios’: the experience of the Urban Land Committees. Revista Venezolana de Economía y Ciencias Sociales [online]. 2005, vol.11, n.3, pp.205-218. ISSN 20030507.

The author, on the basis of his own experience as an active participant, attempts to present the experience of the Comités de Tierras Urbanas, from the moment in which they were first established at the outset of 2002, to the present. He starts by indicating the experiences of organization in the barrios since the late eighties, noting the growing concern over the need to regulate residential property. He explains the circumstances that led the Chávez government to introduce Decree Nº 1666 and argues that the principles underlying it differ markedly from those that inspired the better-known proposals of the Peruvian Hernando De Soto. Finally, the article indicates the importance of the active role of those immediately affected in the search for solutions and the notable degree of autonomy of the committees in their relationship with the State administration.

Palabras clave : Urban Land Committees; Popular Barrios; Urbanization; Exclusion; Popular Organization; Venezuela.