Divergences and contradictions in the sustainable planning of the metropolitan rural peri-urban area of Valparaíso. The case of the Campana-Peñuelas Biosphere Reserve, Central Chile

Abstract

The concentration of human activities in areas with intense urbanization and deficiencies in urban planning impacts natural and semi-natural ecosystems. As a result, adequate planning of urban growth aligned with sustainable dwelling practices is needed. This is relevant in regions with natural and heritage environmental values, which simultaneously have a tendency towards deterioration, spatial fragmentation (agricultural and natural) and socio-environmental segregation. The aim of this study was to identify the inconsistencies in land planning in the regulations that govern the land uses proposed in the regional planning instruments (IPTs in Spanish) (La Campana Satellite Intercommunal Regulation Plan (PRI-LC and PREMVAL)), and the sustainability criteria that guide the natural and heritage areas proposed in the La Campana–Peñuelas Biosphere Reserve (BR) zoning. By studying the PRI-LC and comparing it with the zoning model proposed for the La Campana-Peñuelas BR, the overlapping spaces between the urban expansion and protection areas were analyzed. The results show the existence of zones of potential territorial conflict (in areas of natural and agricultural value) in each BR zone (core, buffer and transition). There is no agreement between the IPTs that ensure the protection of areas of environmental value. The regulation presents numerous inconsistencies and discrepancies that are at odds with the sustainable development criteria, and with a protection entity like a BR, particularly in areas allocated for agricultural use. It is recommended that the citizen participation and awareness tools be updated, and the sustainability criteria be modified using those implemented in the Regional Planning Instruments for Biosphere Reserves.