The Quality of Life Program started as a Project in 1989, and became a Program at the beginning of 1994. Its purpose has always been to develop applied knowledge and theoretical thinking on the life quality level of the population in Bariloche and the Province of Rio Negro, and also in Argentina at large. Besides, research projects have been conducted and academic counseling has been granted within the scope of this Program in cities in Germany, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Uruguay.

The topics covered include housing and habitat, land management, sustainable development, types of poverty (related to goods and services access, and to income), differences and inequality, life and environment quality, participation in the restoration of historical quarters, population mobility, urbanization management in tourist cities, governability and environment, strategic planning, and the Local Agenda 21, among others.

This program draws on the work done by researchers and scholars belonging to the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) – which has supported the continuity and part of the projects carried out by the Director – and funds provided by the Bariloche Foundation and CECYT, among other institutions. The continuity of the program has been granted by means of the work of a small number of regular researchers, though this number has been growing through the hiring of highly qualified staff to carry out projects funded by foreign support. The subjects involved in this research are: Architecture, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Sciences, Mathematical Statistics, Geology, Industrial Engineering, Biology, History and Tourism, among others.

Along these years, cooperation agreements have been signed with the Latin American School of Environmental Sciences (FLACAM), the National Institute for Statistics and Censuses (INDEC), the Universidad de los Lagos Regional Studies Center (Chile), the Center for Environmental Research (Mar del Plata National University), the Development Planning Unit (University College London), Universidad de la Laguna (Tenerife, Spain), the International Organization for Migration, among other institutions.

Research projects have been conducted for the provinces of Santa Fe and Rio Negro, for San Carlos de Bariloche Municipality, for SECYT, Comahue National University, the Mother/Child Program (PROMIN), all of which have been supported by the Federal Investment Council (CFI), the Inter American Development Bank (BID), the National Agency for Scientific and Technical Promotion, the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security (MTESySS), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the British Council, among others. Joint work has also started with the Vida Patagónica Foundation on topics related to San Carlos de Bariloche and the Province of Rio Negro.

We also consider one of our essential duties to assist educational institutions in the region on topics related to the environment, urban development and the social situation.