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Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso

Chile
Factors affecting the property in 2015*
  • Commercial development
  • Housing
  • Legal framework
  • Management systems/ management plan
  • Marine transport infrastructure
  • Other Threats:

    Fire

Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Interventions planned at the port, such as the Barón Port and the Prat Dock, as well as for touristic facilities and real estate projects
  • Fragmentation of competencies and mandates by sectors and by different levels of government, as well as by the different types of specific protection and use of different areas, does not allow for the management of the property with respect to its Outstanding Universal Value and within a broader perspective
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2015
Requests approved: 1 (from 2010-2010)
Total amount approved : 140,688 USD
Missions to the property until 2015**

November 2013: ICOMOS Advisory mission

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2015

On 28 November 2014, the State Party submitted a progress report on the state of conservation on the Port Expansion Project (Terminal 2) and the Puerto Baron Mall. The project for the Terminal has been under evaluation since September 2014 by means of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as required by Law No 19.300 for General Environmental Rules. In this framework, the National Monuments Council undertook studies and issued observations on the basis of ICOMOS’ Guidelines on Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for World Heritage cultural properties, and the Recommendation on Historic Urban Landscape (HUL).

Regarding the Puerto Barón Mall Project, an inter-institutional group called “Conservation Committee of the Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso” was created by Presidential Instruction. This committee developed guidelines and intervention criteria for alternative architectural designs in order to reach the necessary balance between protecting heritage and the legitimate development requirements of the port.

Concerning the protection of archeological heritage, the State Party submitted an updated Archaeological Management Plan in April 2015.

On 9 February 2015, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report and on 26 March 2015 additional information submitted on the results of the revision of the project, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/959/documents/. It reiterates that the country is implementing a new National Urban Development Policy -governed by the National Urban Development Council of which the National Monuments Council is a member- and that one of its key objectives is the integration of identity and heritage into territorial planning through a single tool of urban planning regulation, the Local Regulatory Plan. In the case of Valparaiso, this plan will cover the whole city and should provide a single navigation chart. Two of the six stages of the process have been concluded to date. The Master Plan for the World Heritage area will be connected to the Local Regulatory Plan, as well as with the local Development Plan. This is expected to generate a more coherent and coordinated planning and management structure.

The State Party also informs of the massive fire that ravaged the city in April 2014 –affecting the upper city outside of the World Heritage area, and on a number of specific conservation projects including nine elevators, emblematic buildings and urban spaces.

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2015

The State Party provided a systematic response to each of the Committee’s recommendations and relevant additional information on a number of specific conservation projects, including elevators, emblematic buildings and urban spaces.  It is recommended that the Committee commend the State Party on these efforts, in a situation in which it had to address the emergency situation caused by the massive fire of April 2014.

It is noted that the National Urban Development Policy has, as one of its main objectives, the integration of identity and heritage into territorial planning through Local Regulatory and Development Plans. The full connection and interaction of the Heritage Management Master Plan for the World Heritage area with these instruments should ensure due attention to the HUL aspects of the World Heritage area and its wider context.

The above instruments should also provide appropriate mechanisms for the integrated management.  In addition, the creation of the Ministry of Culture, as well as the establishment of an inter-ministerial National Programme for World Heritage Sites, would reinforce the institutional framework for cultural heritage.

However, there is some concern about the possible long timeframes that will be required to implement the policy and its planning instruments and the submission of a comprehensive report on the territorial, local and World Heritage site planning mechanisms and their integration would be welcome, along with an analysis of their effectiveness for the preservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and its attributes and the integrated management structures that would be put in place.

The response given by the State Party on the Terminal project is noted and it is welcomed that actions are taken to apply the ICOMOS Guidelines on HIAs for World Heritage cultural properties and HUL recommendations in the impact assessment. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to present the finalized studies to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for evaluation, together with an analysis of how these studies and the project design respond to the recommendations of the 2013 Advisory mission.

As to the Puerto Baron Mall, the commitment of the State Party is demonstrated by the creation of a Conservation Committee of the Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso, and by the important and valuable modifications regarding the dimensional, spatial and integral conservation of the Bodega Simón Bolívar and the volumes that will allow for better visibility of the Bodega from the amphitheater. Although the developer cannot be requested to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment, considering the great scale of the project, which will have indirect impact on the entire city of Valparaiso, and especially on the property, it would be desirable for a HIA to define any impacts on the OUV of the property, and in particular on the vitality of the sea port upon which Valparaiso’s prosperity was based and on the city’s amphitheatre-like layout.

The revised Archaeological Management Plan will ensure the adequate treatment of archaeological finds in the area of the Puerto Baron project. The historical background has been documented and will serve as a basis to interpret the context of object that might be found and also those found during the first excavations (October 2013) following which construction works were stopped until the archaeological management plan had been put in place.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2015
39 COM 7B.90
Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso (Chile) (C 959rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 7B.41, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
  3. Commends the State Party for its efforts to advance in the drawing up planning mechanisms for the city and for the great number of conservation works, including the elevators, that are being undertaken in a situation where it also had to address the emergency situation caused by the massive fire of April 2014;
  4. Requests the State Party to submit:
    1. a timeline for the implementation of the Urban Development Policy and its instruments in the city of Valparaiso,
    2. a comprehensive report on the territorial, local and World Heritage site planning mechanisms and their integration,
    3. an analysis of the effectiveness of the above for the preservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and its attributes and the integrated management structures that would be put in place;
  5. Notes the response given by the State Party on the Terminal 2 Project, welcomes the actions taken to apply the ICOMOS Guidelines on Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for World Heritage cultural properties and Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) recommendations in the impact assessment and also requests the State Party to present the finalized studies, as soon as they become available, together with an analysis of how these studies and the project design respond to the recommendations of the 2013 Advisory mission;
  6. Also welcomes the efforts of the State Party to review the Puerto Baron Mall Project, and also commends the progress made to date with modifications to the plans and the further development of the Archaeological Management Plan and, while acknowledging that a full Environmental Impact Assessment cannot be undertaken, highly recommends that the State Party undertake a HIA to define formally any impacts of the project on the OUV of the property, and in particular on the city’s amphitheatre-like layout and the vitality of the sea port upon which Valparaiso’s prosperity was based, for submission when completed to the World Heritage Centre;
  7. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2016, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017.
Draft Decision: 39 COM 7B.90

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 7B.41, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
  3. Commends the State Party for its efforts to advance in the drawing up planning mechanisms for the city and for the great number of conservation works, including the elevators, that are being undertaken in a situation where it also had to address the emergency situation caused by the massive fire of April 2014;
  4. Requests the State Party to submit:
    1. a timeline for the implementation of the Urban Development Policy and its instruments in the city of Valparaiso,
    2. a comprehensive report on the territorial, local and World Heritage site planning mechanisms and their integration,
    3. an analysis of the effectiveness of the above for the preservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and its attributes and the integrated management structures that would be put in place;
  5. Notes the response given by the State Party on the Terminal 2 Project, welcomes the actions taken to apply the ICOMOS Guidelines on Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) for World Heritage cultural properties and Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) recommendations in the impact assessment and also requests the State Party to present the finalized studies, as soon as they become available, together with an analysis of how these studies and the project design respond to the recommendations of the 2013 Advisory mission;
  6. Also welcomes the efforts of the State Party to review the Puerto Baron Mall Project, and also commends the progress made to date with modifications to the plans and the further development of the Archaeological Management Plan and, while acknowledging that a full Environmental Impact Assessment cannot be undertaken, highly recommends that the State Party undertake a HIA to define formally any impacts of the project on the OUV of the property, and in particular on the city’s amphitheatre-like layout and the vitality of the sea port upon which Valparaiso’s prosperity was based, for submission when completed to the World Heritage Centre;
  7. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2016, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017.
Report year: 2015
Chile
Date of Inscription: 2003
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (iii)
Documents examined by the Committee
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2015) .pdf
arrow_circle_right 39COM (2015)
Exports

* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.


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