THE VALPARAÍSO STUDIO:
From the Eclectic to the Informal to the Sustainable

Miriam García García has been invited by David Gouverneur and Maria Altagracia Villalobos for the midterm review of the Valparaíso Studio of the Urban Design Certificate at the University of Pennsylvania.

This Studio deals with the intricacies of ecological, social, infrastructural, economic and morphological aspects of the city of Valparaíso, the main port of Chile. Throughout its history, Valparaiso has experienced the destruction and reconstruction of different urban areas, impacted by severe earthquakes frequently followed by tsunamis, as well as impacted by fires which have quickly spread through districts of constructions built predominantly in wood, located on the steep slopes.  

As frequently occurs after destructive events worldwide, the communities are eager to reoccupy their territories. In Valparaíso, only 7 months after the fire, entire neighborhoods have been rebuilt thanks to individual and communal efforts.

The Studio address issues of urban sustainability dealing with lower income communities of a very special city that presents a weak economic base, and which were recently affected by a major fire.