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Macul basin (line in red) and the impact zone of the alluvial event of 3 May 1993 (area in light blue) in contrast to the present urban area.
Source publication
Landslide disaster risks increase worldwide, particularly in urban areas. To design and implement more effective and democratic risk reduction programs, calls for transdisciplinary approaches have recently increased. However, little attention has been paid to the actual articulation of transdisciplinary methods and their associated challenges. To f...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... should be noted that the first flow began at 11:40 am with a debris flow of up to 1 m high, reaching speeds of up to 15 km/h, and 30 km/h in the second pulse developed 10 min later, directly impacting the urban area, destroying houses, trucks, sheds, trunks, etc. The consequence was the devastation of urban areas along the ravine in the districts of La Florida and Peñalolén in the metropolitan area of Santiago (Figure 1). The disaster left 26 deaths, 8 missing, 85 injured, and more than 30,000 people affected. ...
Context 2
... Results Torrentiality coefficient (Tc) ( López and Romero, 1987) (1/km 2 ) 20.3 Basin Efficiency Index (Ie) (Aracena, 1993) 16.6 Potentiality index (Pi) (Börgel, 1978) 2.2 Storage Coefficient (Sc) (Garay & Agüero, 2018) 0.5 ...
Context 3
... the geology, the Macul basin (QM) is characterized by consolidated and unconsolidated units, (Figures 10 and 11), where a result and description of each one can be found in Table 10. The large areal extension of Tia stands out, making up 79.9% of the basin area, however, if we take into consideration the total area (basin area and mouth area), this unit represents 43% of the total area. ...
Context 4
... In 1742, it was already indicated that there was a need to open up a ditch in the foothills of Macul to this end ( Figure 12). In 1772, it was pointed out that there was "a ravine over which it was necessary to build an aqueduct that was to join the southern and northern rivers [...] which was also open, over an extension of several blocks, with very little time left to reach the Zanjón" (Emphasis added) [78] (p. ...
Context 5
... Furthermore, in 1861, the indication of a "channel to be opened to the waters of the stream" was reiterated (Emphasis added) ( Figure 13). Although the exact date when Zanjon joined the QM estuary is unknown, by the end of the 19th century its connection was established resulting in an inundation of problems. ...
Context 6
... As indicated in the plan from 1614 ( Figure 14) there was a "ditch that comes from Macul" that " [...] goes up to the skirt of the mountain range that could be wide beynte [twenty] quadras and long" [96] (p. 121). ...
Context 7
... one of them said: "it has never been made explicit that man (sic) is also to blame, so don't come and say 'nature, nature, nature'" (Interview J.A., July, 2019). In fact, doing field visits with them ( Figure 15) they indicated how the territory has changed over time: "Before there were farms...And up on the place where they take out gravel now, there were pastures" (Interview N.A., July, 2019). He continued: "That's the Las Perdices bridge... ...
Context 8
... do they authorize all that," they ask, "how do they authorize the construction of houses a meter and a half away from a ravine?... they have no idea of the consequences, there are schools and infant schools half a block from the stream… the drains are just not enough" (Interview N.A. & J.A., July, 2019). New residential projects, moreover, have not replaced the original vegetation cover with a proper reforestation process (Figure 16). As a response to these conflicts and gaps, community organizations have implemented different risk reduction strategies, establishing multi-sectoral collaborations. ...
Context 9
... an exploratory methodology that seeks to render visible, through transdisciplinary processes, the interactions between the geological, built, and socio-cultural environments, the Geo-Social Model can be translated into a geo-social map of the Macul Basin (Figure 17). This map, as an exercise in making the complexities of the territory public, contributes to a better understanding of the alluvial phenomenon, and hence emerges as a relevant conceptual and methodological tool for landslide risk reduction and prevention in the future. ...
Context 10
... map, as an exercise in making the complexities of the territory public, contributes to a better understanding of the alluvial phenomenon, and hence emerges as a relevant conceptual and methodological tool for landslide risk reduction and prevention in the future. The geo-social map ( Figure 17) shows and synthesizes an evident intersection between the three environments. The estimated perimeter of the mouth of the alluviumthat is part of the geological environment-overlaps with the built environment because it is mostly urbanized (PUA and AU) except for the few agricultural and grading areas that remain in the area (AATG). ...
Citations
... Risk management research has been conducted in various geographical regions. For example, a region on the plateau of mountains in Brazil was chosen for the application of a mathematical model for landslide monitoring (Konig (Acuna et al. 2021). Importantly, the proportion of the urban population in most of these countries is above the global average. ...
In recent years, scholars worldwide have achieved significant scientific advancements in landslide research, particularly in urban planning. However, few have systematically summarized these studies. To facilitate readers to understand the current status of research, this article aims to provide a comprehensive review of global landslide research related to urban planning. By employing systematic review and scientometric analysis, this study highlights the impact of landslide research areas, trends, and methodologies on urban planning. The geographical distribution of research subjects reveals the focus on landslides in different countries. From the perspectives of landslide trigger factors, hazard assessment, and risk management, the paper reveals the main content and significance of current research in this field. Additionally, it discusses the strengths and limitations of common landslide research methods, to improve the efficiency of urban planning through the accuracy of the results. This review explores how landslide research can be applied to pursue more scientific and comfortable urban planning. The insights provided can help inform strategies for future landslide prevention and mitigation efforts in urban environments.
... There is a clear lack of political will to ensure investments are systematically and equitably risk-informed, and this lays the grounds for DRC [42,110]. There are resultingly instances where DRC processes have not just been neglected, but intentionally concealed, with urban developers making risks 'invisible' to conform to real estate pressures [144]. One means of concealing processes in DRC can be seen in the attribution of select disasters to climate change, shifting public attention instead to bygone processes of industrial eras [19,145]. ...
Processes of disaster risk creation are outpacing the achievements of disaster risk reduction initiatives. Preventing risk creation is consequently an objective recognised by major disaster frameworks. However, there exists a gap in our understanding of the processes contributing to risk creation, with the existing body of knowledge lacking conceptual clarification to guide empirical applications. This review distils how disaster scholarship either implicitly or explicitly theorises the concept of disaster risk creation by employing a semi-systematic scoping strategy and thematic analysis of global literature. Disaster risk creation is inferred to be the process, or set of processes, through which risk is constructed (by human actors) in relation to (socio-)natural hazards. Using scholarly enquiries into risk creation this review discusses why risk-creating decisions emerge and prevail, how risk reduction narratives obscure risk creation outcomes, how risk reduction initiatives can be counterproductive in their intents, and the extents of tangibility in risk-creating factors. To avoid disaster risk creation and question the continued establishment of risk-creating path dependencies, we identify a need for future research to look both at ongoing and changeable, as well as more distal, trajectory-setting processes. The outcomes of this review have the potential to enrich and advance the application of disaster risk creation within the field of disaster studies, inspiring the further interrogation and eventual deconstruction of disaster risk creation processes.
... The idea of decisions being 'blind to risk' is correlated with a lack of political will to ensure investments are systematically and equitably riskinformed, laying the grounds for DRC Wisner, 2020). There are resultingly instances where DRC processes have not just been neglected, but intentionally concealed, with urban developers making risks 'invisible' to conform to real estate pressures (Acuña et al., 2021). This intentional concealing is clearly inexcusable, but there is not always a clear line separating intentional actions from the unintended. ...
Processes of disaster risk creation are outpacing the achievements of disaster risk reduction initiatives. Preventing risk creation is consequently an objective recognised by major disaster frameworks. However, there exists a gap in our understanding of the processes contributing to risk creation, with the existing body of knowledge lacking conceptual clarification to guide empirical applications. This review distils how disaster scholarship either implicitly or explicitly theorises the concept of disaster risk creation by employing a semi-systematic scoping strategy and thematic analysis of the literature. Disaster risk creation is inferred to be the process, or set of processes, through which risk is constructed (by human actors) in relation to (socio-)natural hazards. The major themes emerging from scholarly enquiries into risk creation are identified as (1) risk-creating developments, (2) risk production in relation to risk reduction efforts, and, intersecting these themes, (3) the multi-scale nature of risk creation. To avoid disaster risk creation and question the continued establishment of risk-creating path dependencies, we identify a need for future research to look both at ongoing and changeable, as well as more distal, trajectory-setting processes. The outcomes of this review have the potential to enrich and advance the application of disaster risk creation within the field of disaster studies, inspiring the further interrogation and eventual deconstruction of disaster risk creation processes.
... Estas preguntas implican reflexionar sobre los espacios donde ocurren lo que llamamos desastres, considerando los factores que los explican, e incorporando diferentes puntos de vista y herramientas de investigación. Tal mirada requiere por ejemplo una perspectiva trans-disciplinar (Acuña et al., 2021a), o también una aproximación inspirada en la agenda de investigación sobre estudios críticos de desastres (Horowitz y Remes, 2021;Oliver-Smith, 2022). Esta perspectiva busca alejarse de la visión predominante que ve los desastres como algo 'objetivo', para entender sus factores históricos y políticos mediante una aproximación contextualizada, comparada y multiescalar (Horowitz y Remes, 2021). ...
En América Latina los investigadores sociales han entendido los desastres como procesos sociales. No obstante, esto no quiere decir que el concepto de ‘desastre’ sea unívoco. Los desastres son procesos contenciosos, y además, el concepto tiene una raigambre occidental particular que pasa por alto conocimientos y experiencias situadas de habitantes del sur global. El presente artículo busca cuestionar los contornos tradicionales de lo que llamamos ‘desastre’, siguiendo literatura sobre estudios críticos de desastres, y proponiendo una aproximación desde diversas escalas espacio-temporales. Centrado en un caso particular (el sur-oriente de Santiago, Chile, donde ocurrió ‘el’ aluvión de la Quebrada de Macul en 1993), el artículo se basa en una investigación cualitativa etnográfica, usando datos recabados mediante entrevistas, observación participante y análisis de documentos relevantes (ej., leyes, políticas, prensa). Los resultados describen tres escalas espacio-temporales: una centrada alrededor del día del ‘evento’; una en el desarrollo urbano; y la tercera, en la vida de una persona. Cada escala enfatiza diferentes aspectos y perspectivas respecto de lo que es un desastre. Tal aproximación problematiza los contornos de lo que la literatura y la política pública llama ‘desastre’, descentrando el concepto en relación a límites convencionales, y describiendo cómo múltiples condiciones de riesgo persisten en diversas experiencias de actores, políticas y prácticas situadas.
... Quebrada de Macul is a case in point. A piedmont area in south-eastern Santiago, Quebrada de Macul is a landslide-prone area and was declared a restriction zone after the 1993 flooding, one of the worst disasters ever occurred in Santiago (Acuña et al., 2021a). In 2019, hundreds of local and migrant families, unable to access formal housing, occupied the Quebrada de Macul's basin, giving birth to Toma Dignidad, as today the informal settlement is known. ...
... The flood forced the construction of new mitigation infrastructures in Quebrada de Macul, particularly as the area is still today exposed to future disruptive floods due to high climate variability (Acuña et al., 2021a). However, mitigation measures and disaster planning have not seriously considered what we, in our collaborations with diverse collectives from Quebrada de Macul, have termed as the geographic memory of the place: a grounded memory that shapes habitation and sociomaterial practices. ...
... 3. See Acuña et al., 2021a andMolina et al., (2018). For more examples of these forms of collective creativity see Tironi (2018) in Interruption #2 and the ethnographic reflections of the authors in Interruption #4. ...
Purpose
Based on the research, the authors identify how four key concepts in disaster studies—agency, local scale, memory and vulnerability—are interrupted, and how these interruptions offer new perspectives for doing disaster research from and for the South.
Design/methodology/approach
Meta-analysis of case studies and revision of past and current collaborations of authors with communities across Chile.
Findings
The findings suggest that agency, local scale, memory and vulnerability, as fundamental concepts for disaster risk reduction (DRR) theory and practice, need to allow for ambivalences, ironies, granularization and further materializations. The authors identify these characteristics as the conditions that emerge when doing disaster research from within the disaster itself, perhaps the critical condition of what is usually known as the South.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to a reflexive assessment of fundamental concepts for critical disaster studies. The authors offer research-based and empirically rich redefinitions of these concepts. The authors also offer a novel understanding of the political and epistemological conditions of the “South” as both a geography and a project.
... Transdisciplinary approach of science appeared in recent years, partially as a result of the urgent need to deal with global and planetary changes [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Transdisciplinary science is to answer and solve environmental science questions and problems became the foundation of sustainable development, nature conservation and various environmental science education including geoeducation [13][14][15][16][17]. Transdisciplinary approach within volcanology was always a key element of volcano science as volcanology addresses key questions over volcanic hazards, risk and resilience naturally moving along the interface of social science, humanities, natural science and non-academic (e.g. ...
Urban planning is critical in mitigating the impacts of disasters, enhancing community resilience and promoting sustainable development. This review study systematically analyzes the role of urban planning in disaster risk reduction (DRR) through a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach. By reviewing scholarly articles and case studies, this paper examines various urban planning strategies that contribute to DRR, including land use planning, infrastructure development, risk mapping, and community engagement. The findings highlight the effectiveness of integrating risk assessments into urban planning processes, the importance of adaptive infrastructure design, and the need for inclusive planning practices that involve local communities in decision-making. The review also identifies challenges such as inadequate policy implementation, lack of resources, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, analyzing participation and academic importance, and correlating the publication of papers with the number of reported disasters. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, this review underscores the potential of urban planning to reduce disaster risks and enhance urban resilience. The paper concludes with recommendations for policymakers, urban planners, and researchers to strengthen DRR initiatives via strategic urban planning practices. This review contributes to the growing body of knowledge in DRR and emphasizes the critical role of urban planning in creating safer, more resilient cities.
Informal settlements are often excluded or marginalized from urban and risk governance despite the evidence of their high exposure to hazards as compared to other ways of inhabiting the city. In this chapter, we show how everyday life deploys during the COVID-19 pandemic in Campamento Dignidad, an informal settlement in Santiago de Chile facing state abandonment. This hazard-prone place has been self-managed through female leadership and community strategies, which unveil the care practices and solidarity networks driven by women. This allows us to problematize more generally gender categories related to risk governance and the importance of community engagement in risk management in informal settlements.
Geo-social mapping is community’s location map combined with social-information and it is widely recognized as a crucial tool for community diagnosis, being one of the seven essential tools in this context. The process of collecting data for traditional geo-social mapping requires enormous labor and resources. Nowadays, new technology has developed for empowering in community diagnosis to be more efficiency. The article reviewed the importance of evaluating advances in geographic information systems and the impact on community empowerment. It was illustrated through the use of Google Maps and Epicollect5 platforms, which have demonstrated improvements in the accuracy and effectiveness of community diagnosis. Additionally, a practical case study was presented to further exemplify the application of these advancements. Meanwhile, it underscores the challenges of and integration of future geo-social mapping. This will be advantageous to persons working in the field of public health, researchers, and community leaders who rely on health-related data and community perspectives to inform decision-making in projects involving community development. By applying this information, these stakeholders can effectively develop community health measures and address community issues more effectively in future endeavors.
This study examined the main factor that helped residents of Xinshan Village—which is vulnerable to landslides and debris flow hazards—to react and respond to Typhoon Morakot in such a way that no casualties were reported during the severe event in 2009. When the typhoon hit, over 20 residential houses collapsed into a river and were washed away during the night. However, the locals were evacuated before the disaster struck, which was attributed to the timely actions and cooperation that had occurred between them with their village head and the local police. Apart from them, it was also found that the central government, local government, academics, and engineering firms had played a crucial role that contributed to the preparedness of the locals to respond to the natural disaster. Specifically, assistance and resources were provided to them according to the disaster mitigation act, detailed risk reduction plans were drawn up at the town and village levels, drills and evacuation practices were held, and an early warning system was established and its robustness was tested. Prior to the 2009 typhoon, the practice of a transdisciplinary approach (TDA) toward disaster risk reduction in Xinshan Village had fostered its disaster preparedness. Consequently, TDA was identified as a key factor that had contributed to the successful evacuation of its residents before the village was hit by the typhoon.
