Identity and Urban Design: the path to meaningfulness in the city of Concepción

In her research leading to this article, Laura Rodriguez studied the urban design and place making qualities of the University of Concepción campus in Chile. Based on interviews with a select group of experts and field observations, the results indicate that the campus' strong meaning within the city image is partly due to its original conception as an overall consistent project and as part of the city grid and life. Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/focus Part of the Environmental Design Commons, Landscape Architecture Commons, Other Architecture Commons, and the Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons This Peer Reviewed Contribution is brought to you for free and open access by the City and Regional Planning at DigitalCommons@CalPoly. It has been accepted for inclusion in Focus by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@CalPoly. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Rodriguez, Laura Yazmin (2016) "Identity and Urban Design: the path to meaningfulness in the city of Concepción.," Focus: Vol. 12: Iss. 1, Article 10. Available at: http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/focus/vol12/iss1/10 In her research leading to this article, Laura Rodriguez studied the urban design and place making qualities of the University of Concepción campus in Chile. Based on interviews with a select group of e perts and field obser ations, the results indicate that the campus strong meaning within the cit image is partly due to its original conception as an overall consistent project and as part of the city grid and life. FOCUS 12 Peer Reviewed Identity and Urban Design: The Path to Meaningfulness in Concepción, Chile Author’s note: This article was based on the research project “El diseño urbano: aproximaciones desde la identidad y el sentido de lugar en las ciudades de Concepción y Talca” (Proyecto Fondecyt de Iniciación #11130293). 1 According to census data, Chile’s total population was 16,634,603 in 2012 with an estimated 89% living in urban areas. Laura Y. Rodríguez Doctor; professor, Instituto de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Facultad de Arquitectura y Artes, Universidad Austral de Chile. Every city possesses places that evoke the urban imaginary imagination, have strong meanings for the citizens, and capture the image of the city as a whole. Among the several factors contributing to this process, identity and urban design are fundamental. This article discusses a research project on place identity and urban design in Concepción, the largest urban agglomeration in Chile after the capital, Santiago. While the City of Concepción has an estimated population of 300,000 residents, its metropolitan region has 945,650 inhabitants (2012). A number of factors come into play in this investigation and our ndings demonstrate that Concepcion has a powerful image built upon its infrastructure and historical process, both of which have generated a strong identity and sense of belonging among its inhabitants.