Urbanization of the countryside affects rural areas, especially in the immediate surroundings of large cities. Normally, this occurs as an unpromoted process, but in Chile, it is driven by the legal framework. This research focuses on rural residential plots (RRPs) around the capital city, Santiago. The analysis seeks to understand the significance and consequences of RRPs during the last four decades and the role of a favorable legal framework in affecting their development. By examining data and official cartography on rural residential plots, the analysis shows a large phenomenon of rapid RRP development in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile (MR). The study confirms the existence of an ongoing process that is still partially latent and potentially both uncontrolled and evolving. This work demonstrates the negative effect that land liberalization policies can have by promoting territorial transformations that policymakers cannot subsequently control. The conclusions provide a critical perspective on the counter-urbanization process in the context of fragility and scarce resources.

This chapter provides empirical evidence upon which to base discussions of the territorial transformations that environmental shocks – in this case, drought – bring to agricultural export economies, turning them into resource frontiers. To do so, we present the case of the O’Higgins region of Chile. There, the combination of a 15-year drought and a privatisation programme for water rights has reconfigured land uses and created competition between agriculture and renewable energy. We use the concept of the resource frontier to explain the process and outcomes. The answer given in this chapter to one of the questions posed in this book is that these land conflicts have so far had little impact on the export-oriented commodity chains. This is because these chains are prioritised, while small farmers and local production are excluded from these markets and forced to either convert to renewable energy or sell their land.

Esta investigación se centra en el análisis de los factores y el alcance de la colonización residencial del espacio rural en la provincia de Chacabuco, Región Metropolitana de Santiago de Chile, entre 1980 y 2020. Para ello, se reconocen dinámicas asociadas a la mercantilización de suelo y agua, los antecedentes históricos y legales de la dictadura de Augusto Pinochet, así como la limitada fiscalización y planificación estatal en el negocio inmobiliario desde la década de 1990. La metodología combina técnicas cualitativas y cuantitativas, incluye revisión documental, análisis de imágenes satelitales y clasificación de edificaciones. Los resultados muestran que los procesos de urbanización del campo de Chacabuco han provocado un descenso del suelo cultivable, cambios en las prácticas rurales, un déficit en la provisión de infraestructuras y servicios (públicos) y una mayor fragmentación y segregación socioespacial. La investigación revela que la colonización residencial en Chacabuco ha transformado significativamente lo rural en las últimas cuatro décadas, creando una tensión entre intereses contrapuestos y una expansión descontrolada, propulsada por el mercado. El rol del Estado como desregulador y la falta de planificación han exacerbado la situación. Se proponen mejoras en el ordenamiento territorial, incluyendo mayor autonomía regional, actualización de datos y protección de áreas periurbanas.

Studies on citizen participation in politics have tended to focus on voters and electoral processes at the national level, and little consideration has been given to the particularities of rural territories or the parliamentary legislative process as a space for citizen participation. In this article, we analyse how representatives of a rural electoral district in Chile address rural concerns in the National Congress and examine the language used in discussions by the Committee on Water Resources. We argue that there is a disconnect between rural citizenship and the Chilean parliamentary system. This detachment is driven by a form of neoliberal democracy that permits only formal and low-impact citizen participation and excludes rural issues or territorial particularities from discussions. This, in turn, promotes fragmented and clientelist citizen practices in these areas.

El sistema democrático en Chile establece la prioridad de la acción legislativa a la iniciativa presidencial, mientras que el parlamento sostiene su rol de colegislador y fiscalizador de la acción pública, representando a los habitantes de sus distritos en el debate legislativo. Durante la última década, el Estado ha promovido una activa política de infraestructura energética que ha derivado en que la región de O`Higgins y sus zonas rurales concentren el mayor porcentaje de los proyectos de parques fotovoltaicos. Este artículo revisa las audiencias de Ley de Lobby y sesiones de la Comisión legislativa de Minería y Energía (2014-2020) para argumentar que el proceso legislativo y de política carece de una perspectiva territorial, excluyendo las voces de habitantes y organizaciones rural. Se destaca la desconexión entre el habitar rural y la formulación de políticas, fomentando una ciudadanía fragmentada y clientelista en estos espacios.

State intervention in island areas often focuses on their shortcomings and limitations, defining them in terms of backwardness. This approach legitimises top-down territorial integration initiatives that disregard the expectations and knowledge of local residents. One consequence of this approach is centre-periphery dynamics increasing gaps in island contexts, reducing its relevance in political, economic, and social terms. The prevalence of state interventions decided from the continent reinforces a sense of distance and difference. In this paper, we propose a definition of islandness based on three interrelated arguments: identity, political, and territorial. From there, we highlight their impact on the political sentiments that develop in these contexts, which are often marked by a sense of territorial identity, dissatisfaction with experiences involving the state, and a struggle to control the local agenda. In a case study of the Guaitecas Archipelago in southern Chile, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 39 local people between September 2021 and October 2022. Respondents shared their characterisations of the state, their expectations in terms of its role, the relationship between the public sector and local politics, and the informal practices that emerge through adaptation of standardised mechanisms devised on the mainland.