Valparaíso

Chile’s rich history encompasses indigenous communities, 300 years of Spanish colonisation, and 30 years of military dictatorship. Since 1990, democracy has brought stability and economic growth while also continuing inequality, resulting in widespread demonstrations and repressions in 2019. The city is rough, rustic, working-class, and nostalgically embedded within its port. Port city, touristic city, and university city — its three identities also lead to tensions: pressure for port expansion reduces resident access to the waterfront and available urban land; the city’s touristification has displaced many residents from the flatlands to the impoverished hills, where informal settlements are vulnerable to floods and fires; and it has been challenging to create employment opportunities beyond academia to retain university graduates. 

Valparaiso is the Chilean region that is most vulnerable to climate change, yet climate action is most visible at the national level. Initiatives include the Framework Law on Climate Change and Construye 2025, which put the roadmap for decarbonisation of the built environment on the agenda. At the regional level, the Clean Production Agreement for the Circular Economy in Construction focuses on circular business models for managing construction and demolition waste, but its implementation has been limited.

In fact, built environment climate action in Valparaiso has been so limited to date that it is difficult to assess its social impact. Underlying urban development trends suggest reasons for concern, with market-led port development causing gentrification and exacerbating the proliferation of informal settlements in mountains and ravines. With 95% of land and buildings privately owned, the local government has limited agency to steer inclusive efforts, and a unionisation rate of 15.1% makes construction workers vulnerable, with their industry ranking third overall in injury rates. Participation appears to be the main area where there are signs of change, with the local government engaging in a binding public consultation to update its Communal Regulatory Plan, hopefully a sign of greater inclusion in future climate action.