The digital platform Ciudad Portuaria, developed by City Lab Bio Bio and Puertos de Talcahuano, was presented to more than 250 attendees, including researchers and professionals in urban matters, data technology, artificial intelligence, and scientific outreach from various countries. The occasion was the Summit Cities in Transition, the name given this year to the annual meeting of the city laboratories belonging to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) network, held at the Teatro Regional del Bio Bio.
Fernando Pérez, principal director of City Lab Bio Bio, “we found our first smart citizens in Puertos de Talcahuano, who believed in science, technology, and data to innovate in a different way. First, by trying to understand the most important phenomena affecting the territory. Through a very simple language, we managed to generate collaboration with them and maps that allow us to understand the problems in a simple way”.
“Then, we wanted to know what happens when you insert certain future scenarios into that analysis, what the scheduled projects are. And finally, to think of this platform as a space for public participation,” said Pérez.
Cristian Wulf, general manager of Puertos de Talcahuano, explained that “Ciudad Portuaria cross-references data to harmonize the variables that impact the quality of life and the sustainable growth of our ports and their increases in cargo. It is a tool that improves decision-making and helps us better profile the Talcahuano that we all want”.
“Therefore, since its launch at the end of May, we have invited more than a hundred municipal and regional authorities, representatives from the private sector, the academic world, and, of course, neighborhood councils and social organizations to learn about its functionalities,” Wulf added.
Ciudad Portuaria allows for the simulation of the impact of different connectivity, mobility, and coastal edge improvement projects on the social community and the development of the maritime terminals. To do this, thanks to the interaction of science, technology, and citizen participation, it evaluates each of the selected initiatives based on indicators built between Puertos de Talcahuano and City Lab Biobío, in cooperation with MIT Media Lab.
In its first stage, there are eight urban projects that can be simulated on the platform. Some of them are the Inter-port Route Road Connection, the Coastal Edge Master Plan, the Cable Car System, the Perales – Alessandri Public Transport Corridor, the El Arenal Grade Separation, the Perales Bridge Replacement, the Valdivia Axis Improvement, and the New San Vicente Port Concession, among others.
The impact of the projects is estimated based on different variables that affect people’s well-being and the efficiency of the foreign trade logistics chain in Talcahuano, such as travel times, diversity in land use, transport speed on urban routes, quality of public transportation, quality of public space, proximity to bus stops, and length of traffic jams. The idea is that the projection of scenarios is delivered as input to decision-makers for potential adjustments that allow for the optimization of these works.
The City Lab Biobío exists in Gran Concepción thanks to the impetus and funding of the Regional Government of Biobío and the Cámara Chilena de la Construcción, and its operation is executed by Corporación Ciudades. Furthermore, it has the strategic support of the universities of Concepción, Bío-Bío, and del Desarrollo, plus partnerships with public entities and companies.
