On this occasion, the guest was Claudia Lería, executive director of Maratué, who shared the details and vision behind this initiative, which includes more than 14,000 homes and dedicates 50% of its land to green spaces.
Maratué is a 1,000-hectare development—equivalent to the area of the Providencia district—that seeks to offer integrated housing solutions for different segments of the population, including 2,000 social housing units in its first phase. As Lería explained, the goal is to plan a city from the ground up, incorporating services, schools, hospitals, and a large 125-hectare nature sanctuary, which would become the largest urban park in Chile.
During the interview, Lería emphasized that the project has been developed in close collaboration with the local community, meeting with more than 400 families registered in housing committees and engaging in dialogue with authorities and environmental organizations. “Dialogue has always been an important part of how we designed this project. It’s not just about arriving with a pre-packaged proposal, but about listening to the real needs of the people who live here. We’ve had extensive meetings with housing committees, where families have shared their stories, their challenges, and their aspirations. This has allowed us to adapt the design and spaces, focusing on how to improve their quality of life, with accessible green areas, nearby services, and real connectivity,” she commented.
The director of Maratué also addressed the opposition the initiative has faced. “All objections are valid and they push us to improve. Some people would prefer this land to remain untouched, but this is urban land designated for housing, and if we don’t develop it in a planned way, the risk is that it will end up being occupied or altered without control. We have decided to build less than the law allows: instead of 19,000 homes, we will build 14,000, because we want to avoid overloading the area. It is a conscious decision to prioritize a balance between development and environmental protection,” he stated.
Regarding environmental matters, Lería explained that specific measures have been taken to protect the coastal ecosystem. “We’re not going to build on the beachfront because it’s a nesting area for boobies, something we consider a priority to protect. We could even legally build 20-story buildings 200 meters from the coast, but we decided to move back a kilometer and a half and opt for houses. This isn’t just a gesture: it involves changing the design, investing more in infrastructure, and, above all, maintaining a real commitment to biodiversity,” he explained.
The conversation also addressed the administrative challenges the project faces. Lería pointed out that, although Maratué already has a favorable environmental qualification resolution, ratification by the Committee of Ministers is still pending. “We want to start with certainty. The processing time weighs heavily on investors’ decisions, and the longer it takes, the harder it is to maintain interest and confidence in a project of this magnitude. We’ve done everything in accordance with the regulations and we’re ready to begin, but we need the process to be more agile and for the prior work done to meet each requirement to be valued,” he stated.
Finally, they emphasized that this $2 billion investment not only represents an economic boost for the region, but also an opportunity to plan a model city with employment, connectivity, and quality of life.