This chapter examines debt as a pervasive force shaping contemporary urban life, particularly in Latin American contexts such as Ecuador. It explores how financial colonization and the intertwining of formal and informal debt have transformed housing into a site of both subjugation and resistance. The concept of “burn zones,” inspired by Carla Benedetti, is used to describe the spaces where individuals and communities navigate the tensions between economic dependency and acts of defiance. The text highlights how debt not only dictates access to housing but also reshapes domesticity, gender roles, and urban infrastructures. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the research reveals how financialized urban spaces generate vulnerabilities but also foster collective strategies of resilience and opposition. Ultimately, the chapter argues for rethinking urban planning and architecture as political tools to challenge the exploitative dynamics of financialization and envision alternative modes of inhabiting.