Understanding Density in an Uneven City, Santiago de Chile: Implications for Social and Environmental Sustainability

Autor(en)
Felipe Bernabé Livert Aquino
Abstrakt

Efforts to promote infill development and to raise densities are growing in many cities around the world as a way to encourage urban sustainability. However, in cities polarized along socio-economic lines, the benefits of densification are not so evident. The aim of this paper is to discuss some of the contradictions of densification in Santiago de Chile, a city characterized by socio-spatial disparities. To that end, we first use regression analysis to explain differences in density rates within the city. The regression analysis shows that dwelling density depends on the distance from the city center, socioeconomic conditions, and the availability of urban attributes in the area. After understanding the density profile, we discuss the implications for travel and the distribution of social infrastructures and the environmental services provided by green areas. While, at the metropolitan scale, densification may favor a more sustainable travel pattern, it should be achieved by balancing density rates and addressing spatial differences in the provision of social services and environmental amenities. We believe a metropolitan approach is essential to correct these spatial imbalances and to promote a more sustainable and socially cohesive growth pattern.

Organisation(en)
Institut für Geographie und Regionalforschung
Journal
Sustainability
Band
6
Seiten
5876-5897
Anzahl der Seiten
22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/su6095876
Publikationsdatum
08-2014
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
507019 Stadtentwicklungsplanung
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Computer Science (miscellaneous), Environmental Science (miscellaneous), Geography, Planning and Development, Energy Engineering and Power Technology, Hardware and Architecture, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Computer Networks and Communications, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Link zum Portal
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/3451e643-1ee6-4234-b0a4-0e67f5855f11