Urban form and social infrastructure: the Inner Ring and the Flood Park of La Aguada for a Resilient Santiago de Chile

Abstract

The valley in Santiago de Chile is crossed by the Zanjón de la Aguada, a natural wadi of rainwater, agricultural channels and sewage of the city. In much of its urban history, on the periphery of the center, it was constituted as an inner frontier border, vulnerable and stigmatized by slums, industrial zones and recurrent floods. In 2001, a regeneration process began with a focus on the transformation of pericentral areas lagging behind the modernization process, named Inner Ring of Santiago, which includes the transformation of the Zanjón into the Aguada Flood Park. Its design strengthens metropolitan capacities in the face of flood risk and requalifies the quality of the adjacent public space, becoming a benchmark for social infrastructure and resilience. An opportunity for the metropolis to navigate its future challenges: achieving a better balance with its environment and better social cohesion.