‘Ciudad Portuaria’, the Ports of Talcahuano’s interactive digital platform that simulates the impact of urban development projects on the local community

Located in the Biobío region of Chile, within the metropolitan area of Concepción, the Talcahuano Port Authority is a dynamic organisation committed to its local area. The public company Puertos de Talcahuano owns the ports of San Vicente and Talcahuano. It has partnered with CityLab Biobío to develop a tool for modelling the impact of its projects on local residents. CityLab is funded by the Biobío Regional Government and the Chilean Chamber of Construction of Concepción, with a contribution from the Corporación Ciudades association. It forms part of a global knowledge-sharing network established by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Interview with Cristian Wulf, Director of Ports of Talcahuano and Fernando Pérez, Director of the City Science Lab Biobío. AIVP - In a nutshell, what does the “Ciudad Portuaria” platform consist of and how was the project developed? Cristian Wulf - Ciudad Portuaria is an interactive digital platform which, through science, technology and citizen participation, simulates the impact of connectivity, mobility and waterfront improvement projects on the community and the sustainable development of the ports of Talcahuano and San Vicente. It explores multiple scenarios to strengthen urban planning and understanding of the context of a port city. It serves as a tool for decision-makers to optimise eight existing projects in the municipality and for citizens to understand their impacts, as well as to propose solutions. The impacts are estimated based on variables such as journey times, land-use diversity, transport speeds on urban routes, the quality of public transport, the quality of public spaces, proximity to bus stops and the length of traffic jams. AIVP - This digital tool is highly flexible, as it allows for the incorporation of relevant information across various fields. For which topics has it been most relevant? How were the projects uploaded to the platform selected? Cristian Wulf - It is important to highlight the participatory nature of Ciudad Portuaria from its inception. The platform was developed by Puertos de Talcahuano and City Lab Biobío, part of the MIT City Science network. A key aspect is that, when we began developing the platform, we held a ‘Participatory workshop for building sustainable cities’; we invited the community, the local council and various organisations, and in particular leaders of social organisations in Talcahuano, who identified the city’s needs across various sectors. Following this, we analysed, together with various institutions, the existing projects that had sufficient information to be incorporated into the platform, thereby selecting the eight prioritised projects; from this, the most relevant theme also emerged: improving the coexistence of the port logistics system and the city. AIVP - We can see that it has been a very participatory process. What was the initial reaction of local residents when this tool was presented to them? How was the interaction with the various stakeholders structured? Cristian Wulf - The response was very positive right from the start with the participatory workshop; they then took part in…