Re-thinking the Territory of Concepción, Chile: A Resilient and Strategic Planning for a Vulnerable Urban Coastal System

Abstract

This research aims to re-envision the city, understanding it as a living system where change creates growth and renewal, and where uncertainty is our new normal. Concepción is a Chilean coastal urban area that has grown into the wetland landscape of two river mouths. The territory is increasingly at risk due to urban pressures of the expanding city and natural disasters inherent in the territory. To face these challenges city and landscape need to interact through multifunctional structures and need a new awareness of the importance of the presently disrupted landscape. The research resulted in a void adaptive network based on design principles: 1. Value the natural system as the base infrastructure for the city. 2. Use of voids as network to create space for risk management. 3. Complete the network using a green and blue infrastructure to provide a resilient backbone for the city. 4. Re-formulate the city as a provider of nature. Applying these steps leads to a resilient spatial framework for Concepción that can provide stability and safety against natural disasters. The designed backbone was consequently tested in a few natural disaster scenarios and adapted where necessary. This approach can be applied in other cities with similar challenges.