whose operational boundaries are transcended by the “changing and accelerating dynamics of the 21st century” 16 . In this context, a heritage-based approach can guide urban policy by balancing conservation and development through initiatives such as the restoration of elevators—based on functional criteria that preserve their symbolic value and integrate them into the public transportation system—the redesign of Terminal T2 using solutions that engage with the urban evolution of the port city, and heritage education programs that expand the scope of management beyond the material realm. At the institutional level, the creation of the Valparaíso World Heritage Site Municipal Corporation in 2022—the result of an agreement between the Undersecretariat of Cultural Heritage and the Municipality of Valparaí- so—sought to establish a new management mechanism. Its governance structure includes public, private, and civil society stakeholders, and its management plan aims to “preserve, revitalize, and rehabilitate” 17 the site. This plan embodies the shifts identified in our understanding of the common good, placing people “at the forefront, above monumentalism, fostering collaboration among the various stakeholders, and seeking a balance between economic, social, and cultural considerations” 18 . These changes, combined with the possibility of updating Chile’s legislative framework for cultural heritage, suggest the potential for a reconfiguration of Valparaíso’s cultural heritage management model. If these transitions are accompanied by effective management and financing mechanisms, after twenty years there would be a promising opportunity for the city to significantly improve its condition going forward, achieve sustainable management, and for heritage to become for Valparaíso “the opportunity for social cohesion and the engine of development that it is” 19 . !
1 Institute for Urban Studies, Universidad Católica de Chile. 2 Historic Preservation District (HPD) since 1997 (D.O 10.10.1997) ZCHA Cliff or road corridor at the base of the Hill, and ZCHLF or Amphitheater Hills. (DO. 16.02.2004). Historically Preserved Properties, ICH. (D.O. 16.02.2004). 3 Historic Monument and Traditional District surrounding the La Matriz Church, Supreme Decree No. 2412 of October 6, 1971. Expansion of the Historic District Around La Matriz Church, Decree Nº 605 (2001). 4 Decision Nº 959 rev, registered under criteria (iii) “to bear unique, or at least exceptional, testimony to a cultural tradition or to a living or vanished civilization”. UNESCO, Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972) 5 According to the 2017 Census, it had only 177 residents. 6 Housing Emergency Plan (HEP) and Urban Regeneration Master Plans (Articles N° 88° & 89 LGUC). To a Successful Outcome. Proposal For a Strategic and Corrective Plan for the Barrio Puerto Valparaíso Neighborhood, World Heritage Site By: Paz Undurraga (* Article based on a Master's thesis in Urban Planning¹ (2024-2025). The Barrio Puerto Neighborhood possesses heritage attributes that are recognized at the municipal² and national levels³ and is part of the World Heritage Site (WHS), “Historic Area of the Port City of Valparaí- so,” inscribed in 2003⁴. Without a doubt, its obvious underutilization⁵ not only stands in contrast to its attributes but also to the significant housing shortage in the municipality, which ranks first in the region and second nationwide. This case illustrates a pervasive challenge in implementing efficient urban management in heritage areas, where legal safeguards do not translate into funding that results in effective protection (National Council for Urban Development, 2014); demonstrating that, even when using existing regulatory frameworks, plans, and programs, efforts remain mere declarations of good intentions, failing to plan for, integrate, or reconcile heritage resources with developmental dynamics and/or public challenges⁶. Population Decline While the population increased at the municipal level between 2002 and 2017 (7.5%), it declined steadily in the SPM (-34.8%); of the four districts that showed a negative change, Puerto (-63%) stands out as having the
16 Andrea Ortega, “Naples in the Declaration of Valparaíso as a World Heritage Site: A Critical and Exploratory Analysis from the Perspective of the Historic Urban Landscape”, Planning N°37 (2018): 3. 17 World Heritage Site Corporation, Plan, 14. 18 Alan Muñoz & Camila Goecke, “Communication, Assessment, and Social Responsibility in the Deterioration of the Valparaíso World Heritage Site”, EURE 51, N°153: 17. 19 Macarena Carroza, “The Next 20 Years of the Valparaíso World Heritage Site”, El Mostrador, July 4, 2023. Available at: https://www.elmostrador.cl/cultura/critica-opinion/2023/07/04/ los-proximos-20-anos-del-sitio-patrimonio-mundial-de-valparaiso/?utm_source=chatgpt. com [Accessed in April 2026].
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