Miguel Marzolo
Director de Desarrollo City Lab Biobío
Collaboration between actors is key to addressing complex challenges in various areas, which otherwise can become endemic problems. Public-private partnerships have been vital in urban development, so much so that in the last three decades they have enabled investments in the country exceeding 25 billion dollars, making it possible to carry out essential works in sectors such as transportation and telecommunications, among others.
Unfortunately, long-standing factors and others more related to the circumstances of the last two years have generated a certain aura of suspicion in public-private partnerships, which, when executed properly, allow for virtuous relationships between governments and other societal actors such as companies and civil society organizations. This complements their capabilities for executing projects that might be unfeasible if they couldn’t go beyond their own capacities.
City Lab Biobío, the urban laboratory of Greater Concepción, funded by the Regional Government and the Chilean Chamber of Construction, executed by Corporación Ciudades, supported by the universities of Concepción, Bío-Bío, and del Desarrollo, and coordinated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a very good example of the best side of public-private partnerships. Its efficiency depends on these partnerships extending to more actors, as is currently happening.
The technology of this laboratory allows data to be transformed into valuable information that reinforces decision-making in city planning, by generating indicators that are projected on platforms designed for urban management. Therefore, it is essential that both the public and private sectors join this initiative, providing quality data and helping to guide the best approach to urban challenges in Greater Concepción.
Turning information into knowledge, and knowledge into action, is one of the permanent orientations of City Lab Biobío.
As their first results are already being disseminated, along with advancing partnerships with municipalities, companies, and other organizations, we invite more actors to join this path that allows us to move beyond siloed work and advance, in collaboration, towards more efficient, sustainable, and humane cities.
