Trade, public space and local governance: the case of Providencia in Santiago, Chile

Abstract

The author of this article analyzes and evaluates the original project of the pedestrian side streets by the Municipality of Providencia and the development of said project from 1970 and the following 30 years, also the normative changes caused by the completion of the project are examined here. The process of opening these pedestrian streets has had continuity through time, being able to adapt to the political changes and the considerable economic fluctuations. Some of the factors that have made possible this process are: the municipal technical team that was visionary and pragmatic and also had the political back up of the ones in power. There has been a constant persecution of the fundamental goals of the project and also there has been flexibility to adapt to the normative factors and the places where the intervention was originally planned.