(Mercury) Building Vespucio Oriente highway has attracted the interest of the majority of the districts of the eastern Santiago. However, different communities have asserted their positions in different ways, from the millions provided by communities such as Las Condes and Vitacura to strong advertising campaign made in The Queen.
The Queen, despite being a community considered ostentatious has a very heterogeneous as far as socio-economic terms. The areas adjacent to Avenida Américo Vespucio are middle of Vicente Perez Rosales eastward intensive sectors coexist economic well north of Avenida Larraín, while to the south there is an area of \u200b\u200bpoverty as the historical and Villa La Reina .
Despite the heterogeneity, there is consensus in the historical areas of the district (especially in the middle adjacent to Vespucci, who formerly belonged to Providencia) in maintaining the friendly community spirit of small businesses and essentially low altitude. That's why it failed the process of modifications to the Zoning Plan initiated by the municipality in 2005, which basically trying to increase the maximum building heights and transform it into a commune type Las Condes and Vitacura. This process of change was found with a large citizens' movement that arose spontaneously about this radical change. The municipality, through loopholes, tried to circumvent public participation contained in the law governing changes to these community plans.
The major reaction of the neighbors persuaded the city temporarily stop the process. The new process changes to the master plan (2007) and is not intended transform the Queen in Las Condes, but two new factors pushing for amendments aimed in the opposite direction as requested by the neighbors: Americo Vespucio Oriente highway, and the entry into retail scene consortia.
While it is true that the city made a strong campaign against the construction of the highway surface or height was not defending the quality of life of the inhabitants of the commune, but in view of the future real estate development that residents had rejected the opposition to the regulatory plan of 2005. Neighbors, this time through civic organizations (1), were mobilized and deployed on numerous occasions the then Minister of Public Works Eduardo Bitran, demanding that this time not to occupy the cracks concessionaires attended other urban highways in the capital to not submit to their respective environmental assessment processes (just see the effects spatial segregation caused by these ).
The uncertainties associated to the change in Public Works
Bitrán change by Sergio Bitar raises doubts as to the process that the minister had committed to the community. According to information emanating from different media, Bitar said the importance of returning to reactivate concession that many projects were trapped in assessment systems. In fact, Hermann Chadwick noted the positive change of minister highlighting the excessive analysis being conducted on the public works concession projects and hoped that this situation will change under the administration Bitar. That is, the questions arise out of fear that the new guidelines of the ministry aimed to prioritize the investment of cocesionarias over the viability and proper evaluation of projects.
However, Bitran was not free from criticism. While working on a reform of the concession law, information on the draft Vespucci was not freely available. In fact, it generated much criticism by declaring that the Queen was densified for Vespucio Oriente highway fund. For residents, many questions: The Queen has a very poor road infrastructure. Has only four ways out of it: Bilbao, Prince of Wales, Echenique and Larraín. In the medium term, there is uncertainty regarding the announcement that construction of the highway would be in semi trench cover between Bilbao and Greece. That is, at some point cut trench construction on the road out of the commune. In the long term, there is concern about the collapse vial can cause extra incentive to fill car produced by urban motorways. We consider that the Queen, despite having pockets of poverty, is the third municipality with the highest rate of car ownership per household in the capital. Needless to say, the emergence of the highway in a sector that is purely residential short-term change in lifestyle of people in the sector, and in the long term, the highway will mean radical changes in the sector.
Malls: the new players that drive the urban transformation
The proposed new amendments to the Plan Regulator considers the possibility, not yet approved or subjected to public participation, some poles which increases the maximum height for buildings. This fact is being used, or caused - by the interests of retail companies that have set the Queen as the site for the location of their new projects.
D & S for months began with the major works of the project located where it was located the old disco Las Brujas. Despite opposition from neighbors and that the works do not have the respective permits, work has continued under the broad view of the authorities concerned (there's even a presentation to comptroller, which should act on the matter during the few days). You should consider the intersection in which it is located today and enjoy the day with periods of high congestion, particularly in Prince of Wales.
Plaza
The group announced this week its new project will be located in the Plaza Egaña sector, making use of the new amendment not agreed, and even announced that he would be running before the end of 2008. Added to the site of the highway, it is clear that Egaña Plaza residential sector, high pedestrian traffic between Queen and Providencia, will never be the same.
Proposal Egaña Plaza mall (La Tercera)
Certainly the process Urban renewal is inevitable. The only expectation you can have is that hopefully these changes have any relation with the choice they have made the residents of the community and try to be respected to some degree their quality of life. The inhabitants of the Queen is not in itself preclude the siting of new commercial or new infrastructure. While the market that will form the urban landscape of our city, it is expected that the relevant authorities to make vouchers their powers and functions, and no longer vulnerable to the inhabitants of the city.
-------- (1) defend the Queen: http://defendamoslareina.blogspot.com/ Defendamoslareina@gmail.com
Friends of The Red Queen Environmental: amigosdelareina@yahoo.es
Queen Now
lareinahora@gmail.com
Related articles:
urban motorways, high-segregation speed ( Part 1, Part 2 )
Bad News for Santiago (more highways)
0 comments:
Post a Comment