Kaukari Park is an urban park and river corridor located in the city of Copiapó, in the Atacama Region, Chile. It is considered one of the most important public space projects in the north of the country and is part of the MINVU urban parks program. The project is developed in several stages and aims to transform the edge of the Copiapó River into a recreational, environmental and community space.[2][3][4].
Location
Kaukari Park is located along the middle urban stretch of the Copiapó River, mainly parallel to Copayapu Avenue, covering sectors close to Paipote and the city center. The project is developed on the natural terraces of the riverbed, integrating the river edge into the urban fabric through pedestrian walkways, cycle paths, esplanades, gravel gardens and green areas adapted to the desert climate of the valley.[5].
According to the Directorate of Hydraulic Works (DOH), the park forms a continuous linear corridor that runs several kilometers of the central valley of Copiapó, articulating neighborhoods historically segregated by the riverbed and allowing safe pedestrian connectivity in a landscape environment of high environmental value.[6].
The urban design considers the partial renaturalization of the river edge through river terraces and buffer areas for flood events, integrating landscape, recreational and risk management functions in a green corridor that runs through the core of the city.[7].
History
The idea of intervening in the urban section of the Copiapó River and turning it into a linear park began to be proposed at the end of the 1990s, in the context of the so-called Palomar Plan, where it was planned to recover the riverbank as a public space for the city of Copiapó.[8].
During 2010, the design of Kaukari Park was formally begun, commissioned by the architect and landscape designer Teodoro Fernández Larrañaga, later recognized with the National Architecture Prize in 2014. The project was framed in the Urban Recovery Plan for the Copiapó River and in the urban park programs promoted by the State, among them Elige Vivir tu Parque and the Bicentennial Legacy, which sought to provide to different cities in the country of new public spaces on a metropolitan scale.[9][10].
Renaturalization planning
Introduction
Kaukari Park is an urban park and river corridor located in the city of Copiapó, in the Atacama Region, Chile. It is considered one of the most important public space projects in the north of the country and is part of the MINVU urban parks program. The project is developed in several stages and aims to transform the edge of the Copiapó River into a recreational, environmental and community space.[2][3][4].
Location
Kaukari Park is located along the middle urban stretch of the Copiapó River, mainly parallel to Copayapu Avenue, covering sectors close to Paipote and the city center. The project is developed on the natural terraces of the riverbed, integrating the river edge into the urban fabric through pedestrian walkways, cycle paths, esplanades, gravel gardens and green areas adapted to the desert climate of the valley.[5].
According to the Directorate of Hydraulic Works (DOH), the park forms a continuous linear corridor that runs several kilometers of the central valley of Copiapó, articulating neighborhoods historically segregated by the riverbed and allowing safe pedestrian connectivity in a landscape environment of high environmental value.[6].
The urban design considers the partial renaturalization of the river edge through river terraces and buffer areas for flood events, integrating landscape, recreational and risk management functions in a green corridor that runs through the core of the city.[7].
History
The idea of intervening in the urban section of the Copiapó River and turning it into a linear park began to be proposed at the end of the 1990s, in the context of the so-called Palomar Plan, where it was planned to recover the riverbank as a public space for the city of Copiapó.[8].
During 2010, the design of Kaukari Park was formally begun, commissioned by the architect and landscape designer Teodoro Fernández Larrañaga, later recognized with the National Architecture Prize in 2014. The project was framed in the and in the urban park programs promoted by the State, among them and the , which sought to provide to different cities in the country of new public spaces on a metropolitan scale.[9][10].
The first stage of the park, corresponding to the section between the extension of Maipú Street and the Copayapu Bridge, was received by the Housing and Urbanization Service (SERVIU) in 2014 and opened to the public in December of that same year. This first section included 3.8 kilometers of extension with gardens, cycle paths, street furniture and bicycle parking, and was conceived as the beginning of a river corridor of approximately 60 hectares of green areas projected on the edge of the river.[11][10].
In 2016, the Ministry of National Assets provided fiscal land for the construction of the second stage of the park, which added around 11.5 hectares with new green areas, cycle paths, multi-courts, dance squares, children's games and trails. In January 2018, this second stage was officially inaugurated, consolidating Kaukari Park as the largest urban park in the Atacama Region and reinforcing its role as a space for meeting and social integration around the river.[8][12].
According to information from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MINVU), the complete Kaukari Park project is divided into four stages and is part of the Urban Recovery Plan for the Copiapó River, with the objective of recovering about 160 hectares of the river edge, of which 54 will correspond to green areas. Towards the beginning of the 2020s, two stages were executed and the third was in development, while the entire project has been recognized nationally with the 2020 Urban Contribution Award in the category Best public space project on a communal scale.[13][14][15].
Design and features
Kaukari Park is structured as a linear park with the following main characteristics:.
• - Paved pedestrian paths and cycle paths.
• - Viewpoints towards the valley and the Copiapó river.
• - Green areas with vegetation adapted to the desert climate.
• - Civic squares and community meeting spaces.
• - Sports and recreational areas.
• - Gravel gardens, esplanades and river terraces.
• - Integration of the river edge as a central landscape element.
The design incorporates green infrastructure criteria, placing emphasis on the ecological recovery of the river corridor in an area marked by the extreme aridity of the Atacama Desert.
Urban importance
Kaukari Park is considered one of the most relevant urban projects in Copiapó due to its capacity to:
• - Improve the ecological continuity of the Copiapó River.
• - Recover degraded spaces and transform them into areas of public use.
• - Generate mitigation infrastructure against floods.
• - Promote active mobility (cycle paths and walkability).
• - Increase the surface area of green areas per inhabitant.
• - Connect neighborhoods historically separated by the river.
The park has become a frequent meeting point for athletes, families, students and visitors, and has hosted cultural, recreational and sports activities at the regional level.
Events and community use
The park is used for:
• - Bullfights and sports activities.
• - Community fairs and cultural events.
• - School and recreational activities.
• - Recreational walking and cycling.
• - Family weekend activities.
Administration
Kaukari Park is managed by the Directorate of Hydraulic Works (DOH) of the Ministry of Public Works, in coordination with the Regional Government of Atacama and the Municipality of Copiapó.
The first stage of the park, corresponding to the section between the extension of Maipú Street and the Copayapu Bridge, was received by the Housing and Urbanization Service (SERVIU) in 2014 and opened to the public in December of that same year. This first section included 3.8 kilometers of extension with gardens, cycle paths, street furniture and bicycle parking, and was conceived as the beginning of a river corridor of approximately 60 hectares of green areas projected on the edge of the river.[11][10].
In 2016, the Ministry of National Assets provided fiscal land for the construction of the second stage of the park, which added around 11.5 hectares with new green areas, cycle paths, multi-courts, dance squares, children's games and trails. In January 2018, this second stage was officially inaugurated, consolidating Kaukari Park as the largest urban park in the Atacama Region and reinforcing its role as a space for meeting and social integration around the river.[8][12].
According to information from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MINVU), the complete Kaukari Park project is divided into four stages and is part of the Urban Recovery Plan for the Copiapó River, with the objective of recovering about 160 hectares of the river edge, of which 54 will correspond to green areas. Towards the beginning of the 2020s, two stages were executed and the third was in development, while the entire project has been recognized nationally with the 2020 Urban Contribution Award in the category Best public space project on a communal scale.[13][14][15].
Design and features
Kaukari Park is structured as a linear park with the following main characteristics:.
• - Paved pedestrian paths and cycle paths.
• - Viewpoints towards the valley and the Copiapó river.
• - Green areas with vegetation adapted to the desert climate.
• - Civic squares and community meeting spaces.
• - Sports and recreational areas.
• - Gravel gardens, esplanades and river terraces.
• - Integration of the river edge as a central landscape element.
The design incorporates green infrastructure criteria, placing emphasis on the ecological recovery of the river corridor in an area marked by the extreme aridity of the Atacama Desert.
Urban importance
Kaukari Park is considered one of the most relevant urban projects in Copiapó due to its capacity to:
• - Improve the ecological continuity of the Copiapó River.
• - Recover degraded spaces and transform them into areas of public use.
• - Generate mitigation infrastructure against floods.
• - Promote active mobility (cycle paths and walkability).
• - Increase the surface area of green areas per inhabitant.
• - Connect neighborhoods historically separated by the river.
The park has become a frequent meeting point for athletes, families, students and visitors, and has hosted cultural, recreational and sports activities at the regional level.
Events and community use
The park is used for:
• - Bullfights and sports activities.
• - Community fairs and cultural events.
• - School and recreational activities.
• - Recreational walking and cycling.
• - Family weekend activities.
Administration
Kaukari Park is managed by the Directorate of Hydraulic Works (DOH) of the Ministry of Public Works, in coordination with the Regional Government of Atacama and the Municipality of Copiapó.