Evolution of urban renewal and verticalization: The case of the Santiago Metropolitan Area between 1990 and 2019

Abstract

Urban renewal through verticalization in Santiago de Chile has been developed with guarantees from the State (subsidies, local deregulation or absent regulation). The main objective of this paper is to analyse the evolution of verticalization due to urban renewal processes in Santiago de Chile from 1990 to 2019. Based on the information on the building permits, a quantitative analysis is carried out of the evolution of high-rise housing construction considering three variables for the same study period: number of permits, the average number of floors and the number of apartments. The latter variable is contrasted with the existing housing stock and the quantitative housing deficit. To carry out this task, Santiago is divided into four large territories: centre, pericentre, high-income cone and peripheral. The analysis reveals a relocation of high-rise building permits, an increase and subsequent adjustment to the height and a more significant increase in the supply of high-rise housing in the pericentre. It is also observed that the production of high-rise housing has not been sufficient to end the housing deficit.