The interstitial spaces of urban sprawl: The planning problems and prospects - The case of Santiago de Chile

Abstract

Urban sprawl has been largely discussed as a multifaceted phenomenon mainly driven by the housing debate. Nevertheless, this debate has been strongly determined by the focus on the ‘built-up realm’ leaving aside a crucial less addressed dimension defined by the wide spectrum of undeveloped (or less developed) lands and open tracts. Indeed, these lands determine the fragmented and disperse character of sprawl, and define a parallel unbuilt geography. Pieces of countryside, farmlands, landfills, brownfields, geographical accidents, speculative lands, infrastructural areas, military facilities, buffers of security and others appear as different but nevertheless as interstitial spaces – not clearly considered as ‘urban’ – that take part in suburban transformations. Thus, the emergence of these interstitial spaces deserves a closer inspection in order to unveil their origins, role and implications in planning, and to improve the comprehension of urban sprawl and its unbuilt geography. In this vein, this thesis inspects three research questions. First, what are the interstitial spaces of urban sprawl? Second, how they emerge and participate in suburban transformations? and finally, what are their implications in planning? To answer these questions, the thesis develops the concept of ‘interstitial space’ based on a critical revision of current literature, and focused on the different interpretations of institutional actors, their relational character, impacts at different scales and implications in planning. To do so, the capital city of Chile, Santiago, is used as a context of study. Here, various interstitial spaces are analysed using a mixed methodological approach that implies secondary research, fieldwork that involved 56 semi-structured interviews, site visits, revision of representative documentation and data analysis. Evidence found suggests that interstitial spaces are active components of suburban transformations; they emerge as contested spaces and imply major revisions in planning policies aimed to accommodate population and employment growth.