Desde la Ventana hasta la Plaza – From the Window to the Square

Agricultura Urbana y sus aplicaciones para recuperar suelos degradados en la Unidad Vecinal Portales.

By Ben Bookout
Master of Architecture Thesis
Universidad Catolica de Chile
Feb. 3, 2011
In Spanish 225 pages

My name is Ben Bookout and I recently defended my thesis about urban agriculture in Santiago, Chile. I believe the city and country present interesting challenges and opportunities when it comes to the implementation and practice of urban agriculture. I also believe that the implementation of urban agriculture could help Santiago to become a more resilient city as well as give a new use to abandoned urban space and public space. The subject of study of my thesis is a late 1960′s housing development named Unidad Vecinal Portales.

It exhibits classic symptoms of urban blight and presents interesting social and legal challenges to the implementation of the community garden model for the recuperation of public space. I hope that by sharing what I found more attention can be drawn to this specific challenge in Chile and the phenomenon in this country which is about to reach a tipping point in my opinion.

Abstract:

It can be agreed that the degradation of urban areas, especially public areas is a destructive force in the urban context. Often times, simple recooperation of theses areas by private or public groups can become less endearing to the public surrounding these areas and 10 years later these same areas can become dilapidated again. The ability of the public to participate actively in the recovery of these areas in the form of community gardens or another type of productive landscape is key to the sustainability (in terms of survival) of improved urban public space.

As with most major cities throughout the world, Santiago, Chile is an urban fabric in constant fl ux. Expansion in recent years to surrounding agricultural land and suburbs has caused a similar urban blight situation as has been seen in other major cities throughout the developed world. Unidad Vecinal Portales is just one example of major housing developments that have seen their public common spaces degraded form lack of attention, resources, or change in economic demographics.

A community garden where the public plays a key role in the recovery of these spaces is one option for permanent endearing recovery of these public spaces in the urban context. It remains a feasible option for UVP and can be integrated into any future plans for the recovery of these common public spaces. Community gardens can provide benefi ts that traditional landscapes cannot. They have the ability to bring the public together. They can provide a usable product in terms of food material. Finally, because there is a personal connection with the public space (in this case UVP) where the personal property is plant material requiring attention, these landscapes have a greater ability to become vital to the inhabitants of the surrounding urban context.

Download the complete 225 page thesis in Spanish here.