Aerial Video Surveillance in a Megacity: A Case Study in Santiago, Chile

The growth of gated communities and the omnipresence of video surveillance have changed urban life considerably in the last decades. Especially in cities governed by neoliberal public policies and widespread fear of crime, residents search for security, social status, and shared services in fortified enclaves where video cameras watch everybody who enters their premises. These developments are not restricted to private space, and affluent neighborhoods in megacities are eager to adopt a wide range of surveillance technology to protect their citizens. Eight years ago, the affluent municipality of Lo Barnechea in the metropolitan region of Santiago, Chile, installed a surveillance balloon in a residential area. The local security forces currently operate six balloons, and residents have become accustomed to the ever-present gaze of aerial video cameras. This article contrasts the presence of this technology in a megacity against different perspectives on surveillance and urbanism. A consideration of its panoptic features leaves an unsatisfactory explanation. Citizens actively participate in generating public policies and smart technology for public safety, as is characteristic of a maximum security society. The surveillance balloons have become a sustainable element in the urban landscape and an appreciated part of the social fabric of the residential neighborhoods.