Browsing by Author "Vecchio G."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Ageing, therefore marginal: demographic trends and institutional capacity in marginal Chilean municipalities
    (European Regional Science Association, 2022) Vecchio G.
    © 2022 by the authors.In Global South countries, ageing is an incoming phenomenon with socio-spatial implications that are not much explored yet. Global North countries are already facing ageing trends with significant territorial consequences, such as declining populations that contribute to making certain areas marginal. However, different factors may determine the marginality of a municipality or a region in other settings. Drawing on these premises, the paper discusses whether ageing demographic trends contribute to territorial marginality also in a Global South setting. The paper focuses on the case of Chile, a country characterised by significant territorial inequalities and a population that is becoming older. In doing so, it has a twofold purpose: first, examine census data to define what areas are currently experiencing a demographic decline and if these correspond to the areas that national policies define as marginal; second, examine official documents to consider to what extent both national policies and local development plans define ageing as an element of marginality. The decline of population in Chile defines a geography of marginality that complements and expands the one defined in policy strategies, including more areas. In contrast, institutions at different levels are only partially prepared for dealing with the socio-spatial implications of an increasingly older population.
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    Perception of Green Spaces Preparedness and Accessibility During COVID-19: An Exploratory Survey in Two Mid-Sized Chilean Cities
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2022) Rojas Quezada C.; Vecchio G.; Aguilera Saez F.; Steiniger S.; CEDEUS (Chile)
    Copyright © 2022 Rojas Quezada, Aguilera Sáez, Vecchio and Steiniger.Urban green spaces have shown to be beneficial for the physical and mental wellbeing of the general population—which particularly holds true during an unprecedented, stressful situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In urban settings characterized by structural inequality, scarce access to green spaces in a neighborhood can affect the wellbeing of its inhabitants and lower overall resilience of a community. Assuming that the effects of confinement and working from home produce an increased demand for recreational and sports activities, this paper looks to assess the level of preparedness and accessibility of green spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering individual and public measures to avoid contagion. The assessment is carried out through an online exploratory survey and accessibility calculations that are applied to two Chilean cities with a Mediterranean climate, Talca and Chillán. The study considers the quality of green spaces based on (i) official statistics and (ii) a questionnaire directed toward residents. We found that high-quality urban green spaces are accessible to residents of both cities, but rather limited in December 2020 due to low levels of preparedness. Considering the qualities of existing urban green spaces allows for a more precise estimate of their contribution to the wellbeing of neighborhoods, and consequently facilitates better recommendations for urban plans and policies.
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    Planning for accessibility: the divide between research and policy in the promotion of equitable mobility
    (SPRINGER INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING AG, 2023) Tiznado Aitken I.; Vecchio G.; Mora R.; Gonzalez L.; Marshall C.; CEDEUS (Chile)
    © 2023 Regional Studies Association.Mobility-related social inequalities are receiving increasing attention from planning research and practice. Nevertheless, research seems to have a limited impact on urban policies addressing mobility. Using Santiago de Chile as a case study, the paper discusses the existing gaps between research on mobility-related equity concerns and existing policies and plans addressing urban mobility operating at national, metropolitan and municipal scales. An equity-based comparison is performed for different spatial planning instruments, exploring guiding concepts and deriving proposals through content analysis. The findings show that there is a comprehensive and multidisciplinary body of literature in Santiago on mobility and equity, approaching several dimensions of mobility, accessibility and social exclusion in relation to different population groups. However, the series of discourses, norms and actions (policies and programmes) operating at different planning scales lack coherence and address only some of the dimensions identified in the literature. Current plans and policies in Santiago have a limited scope and are difficult to modify, questioning their effectiveness for understanding and tackling mobility-related equity concerns.
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    Street experiments in intermediate cities: scope and perceptions of COVID-19 interventions
    (Taylor and Francis, 2024) Vasquez L.; Mora R.; Vecchio G.; Tiznado-Aitken I.; CEDEUS (Chile)
    © 2024The COVID-19 pandemic triggered significant changes in sustainable mobility in many large and well-known cities of the Global North, such as Paris, Milan or New York. Soon, various large Latin American cities followed suit, taking advantage of this global trend that included significant street experiments. However, it is less clear how these changes affected intermediate cities in this large region and how the population perceived these changes. This paper analyzes the series of street experiments developed in Chilean intermediate cities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We intend to analyze to what extent intermediate cities have engaged in street experimentations and to examine the perceptions associated to street experiments. To this purpose, we surveyed public officials from Chilean intermediate cities and then focused on examining the street experiments developed in Quilpué, a city located 125 km west of Santiago. The results showed that 9 of the 10 intermediate cities surveyed carried out interventions, with the emergency bicycle lane being the most frequent measure, followed by the widening of sidewalks. These were located in areas of high pedestrian flows and were mostly financed by own funds and ministerial funds. However, the main difficulty encountered was budgetary. In the case of Quilpué, shopkeepers have a rather negative view of the process, which was perceived as not very inclusive and participatory, with harmful consequences for the operation of their businesses. These results show that, to be more successful and gain long-term recognition, street experiments should pay more attention to community involvement, especially in small urban areas with deep-rooted auto-centric ways of thinking.