New Book Release: Turning Slums into Neighborhoods

The Performance Improvement Global Network is pleased to announce the publication of a new book by Mariano Bernardez:

Turning Slums into Neighborhoods: The Barrio Mugica Transformation in Buenos Aires (2016–2023)

The book examines one of Latin America's most ambitious urban and social transformation initiatives: the conversion of Villa 31, one of Argentina's largest informal settlements, into Barrio Padre Carlos Mugica.

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Drawing on ten years of field research and direct participation, Bernardez analyzes how public policy, infrastructure, community engagement, leadership, and performance improvement combined to create measurable progress in housing, transportation, education, public services, safety, and quality of life.

One of the most rewarding moments in writing Turning Slums into Neighborhoods was returning to Barrio Mugica to present the book to the people whose experiences, ideas, struggles, and achievements made this story possible.

This book was never intended to be merely an academic study or a policy review. It is the story of thousands of neighbors, community leaders, public servants, educators, entrepreneurs, religious organizations, and social innovators who helped transform a historic informal settlement into an emerging neighborhood.

The discussion that followed the presentation reminded me that the transformation of Barrio Mugica remains a work in progress. The achievements of 2016–2023 created new opportunities and improved living conditions for many families. The challenges of 2026–2036 will require the same commitment, participation, and leadership that made the first stage possible.

My deepest thanks to the neighbors of Barrio Mugica for their generosity, their questions, their criticism, their ideas, and their willingness to share their experiences over more than a decade of work and research.

A book may tell the story, but the real authors of this transformation are the people who live it every day.

Thank you, Barrio Mugica, for allowing me to learn from you and to tell part of your story.

The book also explores the challenges ahead. Its final chapters examine the 2026–2036 decade, including sustainability, demographic growth, social mobility, slumlordism, narco-economies, governance, and long-term integration into the formal economy and the city.

For professionals interested in Human Performance Technology, social performance, urban development, public policy, and community transformation, this book offers both a practical case study and a framework for action.

We invite members of the global performance improvement community to read the book and join the conversation.

#PerformanceImprovement #HPT #SocialPerformance #UrbanDevelopment #CommunityTransformation #CityDoctors #BarrioMugica #BuenosAires #PerformanceImprovementGlobalNetwork #ISPI