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The article focuses on the practice of walking in Chile, with particular attention given to walkability, urban planning, and inequality in cities including Santiago. Topics of discussion include urban planning focusing on automobiles, the creation of pedestrian-friendly zones, gender disparities and inequality, pedestrian accidents and fatalities, and socio-cultural factors.

The construction of new urban transport infrastructure transforms the accessibility patterns of the immediate areas, modifying people's movements and, with that, the demand for land, its uses, activities and densities. In the case of the Chilean capital, Santiago, the underground (Metro), has generated sub-centralities, densification and potentiated real estate development in certain parts of the city, but has had negligible effects in others. Our research aims at trying to enhance the positive effects of a mass transit network such as Metro, to improve two large malaises of the city: its increasing urban sprawl and its unacceptable social segregation. Both problems are not unique to Santiago, but are shared by many Latin American conurbations. To do so, we first analysed and classified the areas around Metro stations, based on their social and urban characteristics, and densification potential. We then identified existing and potential subsidies to promote social integration and densification and, finally, we applied a stated choice experiment to real estate developers to inquire into their willingness to build in the vicinity of selected GIS-classified stations. In a previous paper, we discussed the models estimated with the stated choice data, and the expected results of applying packages of incentives for densification in the vicinity of different Metro stations. In this paper, we seek to identify mechanisms to increase both housing density and, at the same time, promote social integration in the vicinity of Metro stations, by identifying a typology of urban areas that respond differently to such incentives. Our results show that the effectiveness of the various incentives depends, to a great extent, on the urban characteristics of the Metro station surroundings. For example, in stations located in the central areas of the city incentives to stimulate real estate activity are not really necessary, as the process is well underway; however, in Metro stations located in industrial areas incentives are more effective in triggering real estate dynamics, especially direct demand incentives for any buyer or with a limited time frame. Finally, in peripheral Metro stations located in low standard social housing areas, the incentives tend to be less effective and are probably not enough to trigger a significant densification or integration process; hence, probably other type of governmental action, such as pilot or demonstration projects, should be sought for these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicycling produces a series of health, environmental, and economic benefits for both individuals and societies as a whole. Even so, promoting bicycle use faces innumerable challenges, especially ones related to equity, as cycling-related infrastructure and facilities tend to favor middle- and high-income groups. This manuscript focuses on Santiago, Chile, a highly unequal city composed of 34 autonomous communes with no central authority. As such, decisions regarding cycling infrastructure and facilities are made by each commune without much attention to neighboring areas. Given that situation, this paper aims (i) to describe and analyze cycling infrastructure over time and how it relates to normative and socioeconomic changes in the city that have shaped and are shaped by travel patterns; and (ii) to examine the distribution of bike lanes in relation to administrative divisions, residential areas, and employment opportunities throughout the city. To do so, the official cadaster of bicycle lanes in Santiago was inspected during numerous field visits, and a series of analyses were conducted that prioritized the concept of equity. The results show that, despite the continuous growth of Santiago's bicycling infrastructure in the past 15 years, equity remains elusive because most bicycle lanes are concentrated in central communes where middle- and upper-middle income groups live. That situation is caused by weak governance, a fragmented urban structure, and high degrees of inequality, which have made urban planning a difficult, if not impossible, task. Based on those results, several policy recommendations are proposed to improve Santiago's current network of cycling infrastructure. • Bike lanes in Santiago, Chile, differ significantly from commune to commune. • High-income groups have greater access to bike lanes than low-income groups. • Fragmentation, inequality, and weak governance play crucial roles in those disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public bike-sharing schemes have gained enormous popularity worldwide. However, so far most of the research has focused on issues regarding the functioning of these schemes in cities, with little attention on how these systems are perceived and managed by urban planning authorities, which is the aim of this paper. Methods: The analysis is set in Santiago, a highly segregated city composed of 37 independent districts. Two focus groups with urban planning authorities belonging to districts with and without functioning bike-sharing schemes were conducted. Information was processed using a thematic analysis framework, which permitted to reduce, reorganize, and analyze these testimonial data. Results: The main results show that bike-sharing schemes are perceived as being part of a larger phenomenon related to the city's socio-economic differences. A series of issues emerged that are related to urban planning authorities limitations in terms of governance and availability of planning instruments and strategies to cope with contrasting realities of the city. It was noted that bike-sharing schemes are helping to improve a neighborhood image, while, at the same time, promoting contemporary and cosmopolitan lifestyles. However, the functioning of bike-sharing schemes also is a reminder of the fragmented and dysfunctional governance of Santiago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various studies show that bikeshare systems have positive implications for people's health, social cohesion, urban livability, and urban congestion, although many suggest bikeshare systems are not achieving equity goals, particularly regarding low-income people and women. To date, most of these studies come from cities in the Global North, the majority with well-managed governance structures and less inequality. Less is known about how well bikeshare systems work in the highly fragmented and unequal cities that characterize Latin America. Using both primary and secondary data, we analyzed equity through the five Ws of bikeshare in Santiago, Chile, exploring which population groups are using the system ('who'), travel purposes ('what') and time periods ('when'), from/to which locations ('where') and the reasons behind using this transport alternative ('why'). To do this, we used three main data sources: data from tracked trips of bikeshare cyclists (BSC) using the primary system in Santiago (Bike Santiago system run by Tembici), Santiago's Origin-Destination Survey data for own-bike cyclists (OBC), and a survey of BSC. This article contributes to current knowledge about bikeshare and equity in a still underexplored Latin American context with limited bikeshare data, providing some conclusions regarding the adaptation of these systems to local contexts. In line with findings elsewhere, we found that the largest group of users consisted of educated men aged 25–45 from medium- to high-income neighborhoods, mainly using the system to travel to work. Santiago's fragmented governance has limited the placement of bikeshare systems in low- and middle-income communities and left them with few intermodal alternatives to relevant destinations. As a result, bikeshare mimics the existing inequity and economic concentration patterns that characterize Santiago's daily mobility. Based on these findings, we suggest key considerations and local adaptations that could improve, expand, and redistribute bikeshare facilities to attract currently excluded users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]