Respuesta urbano arquitectónica, caso de estudio Unidad Vecinal Providencia, Chile.

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the theme of social housing and its relationship with the city has aroused a special interest for modern architecture. The Providencia Neighborhood Unit is a clear example of a modern housing complex, located in the central area of the community that bears the same name, east of Santiago. In the first instance, the development of modern housing complexes of social interest was executed by the Chilean State through entities created exclusively for the planning and construction of housing units, to people who migrated from the countryside to the city. It must be remembered that, starting in 1920, a great economic boom began due to large-scale mining. Obviously, this significantly changed social and political changes in the Chilean environment, motivating cities to suffer unexpected changes in their structure. The cities, until then, were composed of rectangular blocks arranged in checkerboard, defined by roads, and surrounded by wide green spaces that had rural areas. In Santiago, and with the innovative implementation of modern residential complexes, the idea of a traditional city as it is known begins to be replaced by large blocks of houses that provide large areas of coexistence. Such is the case of sets such as the Providencia Neighborhood Unit (UVPR) icon of the modern architecture of Chile in the 50s.