Reimagining urban nature in a mediterranean landscape: pathways for socio-ecological reconnection and resilience in Santiago de Chile

Santiago de Chile was founded in a valley dominated by tall shrublands, agriculture lands, and grasslands, next to a wooded Mapocho river and surrounded by sclerophyllous forests in the mountains. Nearly five centuries later, it stands as an urban island, struggling to reconnect with the very ecosystems it once displaced. This research critically examines the evolving relationship between the city and its nature, from the Spanish conquest to the present day. Santiago’s foundation in 1541 marked the beginning of an unprecedented transformation of the Mapocho Valley, driven by logging, intensive agriculture, and the introduction of exotic plant species. Over time, the city has oscillated between excluding nature from its urban fabric and attempting to integrate it, as seen in green urban initiatives such as the PRIS plan of the 1960s. These efforts, however, have been overshadowed by the deep socio-ecological disparities inherited from the dictatorship era, disparities that persist despite three decades of democratic attempts to redress them. Today, the cumulative impacts of centuries of environmental transformation have led to a profound degradation of the natural landscape, severely compromising local biodiversity. Yet, this loss also opens up a possibility: to reimagine the city as a biocultural refuge, capable of entering into a renewed dialogue with its surroundings and advancing towards an ecology of reconciliation. To achieve this, this research aims: (1) to determine the ecological and geographical characteristics of the landscape in central Chile at the beginning of Spanish contact; (2) to analyse in what ways dominant governance structures and conceptions of nature have historically shaped the evolving relationship between Santiago and its natural environment; (3) to assess how urbanisation affects biodiversity patterns for different taxa along a continuous rural-urban gradient, particularly for key indicator groups such as butterflies and birds; and (4) to understand how the prevailing beliefs and values about nature, held by key stakeholders, shape decision-making and the material form of Santiago’s urban landscape. This interdisciplinary approach offers a new lens through which to envisage an urban future that integrates ecological justice, landscape memory, and long-term sustainability, offering critical insights into how cities might become fairer and more attuned to the nature that surrounds them.