Corporación Ciudades — the body that operates City Lab Biobío — and the state-owned company Puertos de Talcahuano, which owns the port terminals of the same name and San Vicente — operated by concessionaires SVTI and TTP S.A. — have signed the “Talcahuano, Ciudad Portuaria” agreement to analyse urban projects to be developed in the area. Through a commitment letter signed at the same event, the Regional Government of Biobío and the municipality of the port city pledged their support and participation in the initiative.
Through the agreement, the parties will seek to address the main urban challenges of this strategically important area of the Biobío region, where a high population density coexists with maritime terminals, a logistics hub, a naval base, shipyards and fishing, petrochemical and steel industries of major national significance.
Data collection in the area will enable the development of an interactive platform on which current and future projects can be visualised, allowing analysis of dimensions such as public space use, accidents, pedestrian interaction and the relationship with other modes of transport, among other characteristics of the zone.
“Talcahuano aspires to restore the urban fabric of a city dominated by the dynamics of freight transport associated with its two ports on either side of the peninsula. The question is how we can make this proud industrial and port tradition compatible with a territory that fosters a good quality of life for its residents — and the idea is that City Lab Biobío’s technological tools will help us make decisions aimed at that goal,” said Martín Andrade, executive director of Corporación Ciudades.
For Cristian Wulf, general manager of Puertos de Talcahuano, the collaboration with City Lab Biobío will help “continue fostering participatory work with regional and local authorities and, of course, with residents. We want a sustainable city with integrated territorial planning and a more harmonious coexistence between the maritime terminals and the community, offering a better quality of life for everyone.”
City Lab Biobío is funded by the Chilean Chamber of Construction in Concepción and the Regional Government of Biobío, whose governor, Rodrigo Díaz, once again highlighted the partnership with MIT, which enables collaboration with the world’s leading city science specialists. “This is a tremendous opportunity, because here we will bring together all the data on projects and expectations to help reconcile port development, freight transport, quality of life, coastal waterfront use and other important matters. This methodology allows us to work through conflicts and build consensus around urban interventions with an integrated vision for this port city,” said the regional authority.
The mayor of Talcahuano, Henry Campos, also expressed optimism that the agreement would help improve the quality of life of the city’s residents. “City Lab Biobío will allow us to incorporate information to improve productive development, housing and accessibility in our municipality, in order to enhance the quality of life of Talcahuano’s people. This agreement will enable us to plan with a much broader vision, so that each of the activities that take place in this port city can coexist,” said the mayor.
