Assessment of sustainability in urban planning of a coastal city: the city of Coronel, southern Chile

Abstract

Population increases in the coastal area in the Bío Bío region (Chile) have transformed the urban landscape, creating the need for new urban areas for residential land use. This expansion has resulted in the use of locations vulnerable to natural hazards, and outpacing urban planning instruments. The city of Coronel is a typical urban space located in this coastal zone. Coronel's Urban Planning was recently updated in 2003, and the present study's objective is to evaluate its environmental sustainability using a system of indicators applicable to the proposed land coverage model established in the 2003 urban planning instrument.Urban sustainability indicators are obtained using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. The indicators are based on three territorial components: the distribution of land use and physical structure, land coverage and environmental quality. The data is gathered in the proposed urban land zonings. The method applies sustainability development concepts in data modeling, spatial analysis and geoprocessing in GIS. The results characterize the proposed urban model's sustainability.

Strategic Environmental Assessment in Latin America: A methodological proposal for urban planning in the Metropolitan Area of Concepción (Chile)

“…Our study based on the LSI identified negative trends in the three dimensions analyzed in the CMA: (i) high overall impact, (ii) planned urban development in highly valuable and risky areas and (iii) impact on the ecological functionality of protected areas due to land transformation in their surroundings. These trends are in agreement with the local increases in large irrigation areas in the coastal cities of the CMA (Suazo et al, 2009), suggesting that the planned urban growth is highly unsustainable since the new urban areas will necessarily occupy lands that require protection because they are susceptible or sensitive to natural risks. In short, the proposed land use plan does not correspond to the territory's physical capacities.…”

“…In southern Chile, urban regulating plans for the coastal cities of Tomé, Penco and Coronel approved by the SEIA promote urban development in areas with a high risk of flooding or landslide (Suazo et al, 2009). Thus, the current urban growth regulation poses serious environmental and security challenges in metropolitan areas of Chile, because the norms are focused towards specific projects, while SEA embraces a wider view trying to protect and enhance the natural environment, integrating social and economic factors alongside environmental qualities (Wallington et al, 2007).…”

“…Additionally, EIA regulations state that environmental assessment must be present from the project's beginning and the predicted scenario must be monitored to see if the environmental changes have been effectively minimized or avoided. However, these evaluations are frequently performed considering the impacts produced by each project or initiative and not with respect to the overall territorial model as required by SEA (Suazo et al, 2009).…”

Presiones por el uso de los comunes urbanos en Áreas Metropolitanas. Caso del humedal Boca Maule en Chile

“…Nuestra hipótesis es que, al tratarse de una ex ciudad minera, descolgada de los crecimientos económicos y transformada en zona de sacrificio ambiental (BOLADOS, 2016), estos ecosistemas pierden relevancia mediática y ceden ante la presión de un modelo urbano que se expande sin control apoyado en una normativa ambiental y urbana laxa (SUAZO, et al 2009). En este contexto, el objetivo de este artículo es identificar y relevar los conflictos ambientales presentes en este común urbano, asociados a las dinámicas de usos de suelo y la presión que constituye el modelo de expansión urbana y el modelo forestal sobre el ecosistema humedal, a través del análisis de cambios de uso de suelo y de los actores que interactúan en el conflicto.…”