An urban development project divides a fruit-growing town in Neuquén: Producers denounce that 750 hectares are wanted to be "subdivided."

A municipality in eastern Neuquén, in the heart of the irrigated Alto Valle, is on edge over a project to establish a new Territorial Planning Scheme (POT). This is Vista Alegre, which barely reaches 5,000 inhabitants but is one of the most important areas for Patagonian fruit production. According to some residents, half of the farms could be in danger. At the request of Mayor José Asaad, the Council for Planning and Action for Development (COPADE) is pushing a new urban plan that aims to organize the notable growth the town has experienced in recent years, especially due to the Vaca Muerta oil field and the subsequent irregular subdivisions, without access to services, that are threatening productive lands. Reconstructing this controversial case involves, a priori, establishing two very opposite perspectives. On one side, there is talk of a participatory project that does not compromise the farms and does not expand urban areas. On the other, it is directly labeled as a "final ...