THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ATLAS OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA
OF CONCEPCION/CHILE - AN INSTRUMENT FOR MONITORING AND PLANNING OF URBAN
DEVELOPMENT
A. Kindler1, G. Azocar2, C. Vega2
1 - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig,
Germany
2 - EULA-Chile, Concepcion, Chile
annegret.kindler@ufz.de
Since the
beginning of the 1990ies Chile has undergone huge transformations, particularly
in the areas of economics, politics, culture, and socio-demographics due to the
transition from the military dictatorship to the neo-liberal market economy.
On the
example of the metropolitan area of Concepción consisting of the five
townships Concepción, Talcahuano, Penco, Chiguayante, and San Pedro de
The atlas
was created for different users like urban and regional planners, sociologists,
geographers, urbanists, potential investors and others. It is not only an
instrument of scientific analysis and evaluation but also an important tool for
monitoring and planning of urban agglomerations towards a sustainable urban
development. The information generated will also be useful as a basis for
comparison with other urban regions, especially for identifying the same or
similar characteristics, common elements, and differences in the development.
It is the
first social and environmental atlas for a Chilean agglomeration. The atlas
consists of two parts: a text with about 185 pages and a map part with 64
thematic maps published in Spanish and English.
The atlas is a result of the scientific-technological co-operation between the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Germany, and the EULA-Chile, the Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Concepción, Chile. The project was founded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Chilean National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT).