Green infrastructure is an approach centered on territorial planning and environmental sustainability. Moreover, it is one of the primary strategies being adopted by communities, municipalities, and governments in cities worldwide to address the climate crisis, improve public health, reduce social segregation, and protect biodiversity. Specifically, it consists of an interconnected system of diverse green spaces that support a range of functions and benefits.
Why is this important for Santiago, Chile? Several factors highlight the urgency of this issue: the city is characterized by high levels of social segregation; its average green space is far below the recommendations of various international organizations; it faces major challenges regarding the mobility of both people and wildlife; it is exposed to multiple and growing hydrometeorological and seismic threats; and it suffers from various pollution problems that endanger the health of both the population and its ecosystems.
These words introduce an compelling project aimed at promoting and implementing this concept. Stgo+ Green Infrastructure System is part of the work developed by the FAU Landscape Group at the University of Chile, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (MINVU) and the SEREMI MINVU RMS. The initiative seeks to catalyze collective interest in various types and scales of green spaces, proposing to coordinate public, private, and citizen initiatives through a strategic lens of integrated planning. Ultimately, this means addressing the need for an instrument to coordinate and guide all the efforts that, until now, have been carried out in a fragmented manner across the city.
