Valparaíso, Port and Mountain: Challenge on a Slope

Abstract

The following reflections are part of a seminar presented during the Sustainability Week (May, 2014), in the University of Chile. The seminar addressed the recent fire in Valparaíso, comparing it with the fire that affected part of the state of Victoria, Australia (February 7, 2009). Both fires are considered to be the most devastating events in the history of each country. The seminar worked with four questions, which helped guide the presentation and questioned certain premises. One of these premises was the notion that an urban scale issue can be solved at the housing level, which is a distorted use of the idea of sustainability. Comparing both cases, a notable issue is that both put an emphasis on housing solutions to address a much more critical problem, which was and still is a lack of planning.