From its origin, Valparaiso had to face an inconvenient geographical context: the city- that sprang up from the existence of the port- had to develop on the numerous hills and the port was only able to pursue its expansion by gaining land on the sea. The Eighties marked both the reinforcement of the centralization and the progressive increase of the port activities. The port keeps therefore its importance as an infrastructure but loses little by little its influence on the local economy. The end of the free access to the port imposed by the political system signals the split between the port and its city. The city has therefore to undergo the negative impacts of the port, without having the benefits of its activities.

The port reform started in the Nineties by the Chilean government aimed mainly at the opening to competition of the main ports of the country and the development of competition within ports themselves. 10 autonomous port entities were then created (land lord ports). They remain public corporations but operate according to the rules of private stock companies. They are also encouraged to call on private financings for the development of their projects.

The first effects of the port reform will be a drop in traffics in Valparaiso and an increase of the demands of the city towards its port.

Ports authorities decide therefore to include this city-port complementarity as a fundamental element of their action plan in order that Valparaiso does not just remain a place of transfer of goods between the different modes of transport but becomes a place of business.

Several challenges must therefore be taken up to increase the competitiveness of the port and its impact on the local community, particularly :

• Solve two major structural problems:
• the important disturbances generated by the flows of trucks passing by the city;
• the few possibilities of expansion of the existing operational zones.

• Optimize potentialities:
• search for a maximum return on the investments that are necessary to increase the port capacities;
• offer a clean and safe port;
• equip oneself with the capacities to develop the new technologies;
• ensure excellent relationships with the concessionaries;

• Improve working conditions.

The Master plan of the port will involve several policies to take up these challenges:

• A marketing strategy aiming at intensify the participation of the private sector as well as a reinforcement of the relationships with its partners (exporters, common carriers) or also the establishing of a joint strategy with the concessionaries;
• The use of new technologies for a better information flow throughout the supply chain;
• The development of an integral quality and security control that makes today Valparaiso one of the first Latin-American Ports that meets the ISPS norms. It is also certified ISO 90001:2000, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.

But this is the search for solutions to solve its structural problems that will led to a reflection on the management of city-port relations and the optimization of available spaces: creation of a new zone dedicated to logistic activities outside the city and of a new access to the port, reinforcement of the activity on a part of the existing port areas and liberation- in favour of the city- of the areas in the Barón.

The ZEAL

The Zona de Extensión de Apoyo Logístico (ZEAL) (Logistics Support Extension Zone) consists in a new area for the control, coordination, inspection, and transport of cargo to and from port terminals.

This Empresa Portuaria Valparaíso (EPV) project is pioneer in the Chilean port system. It is located on the new Southern Access, also called “Camino La Pólvora”, 11 kilometers from port facilities. It has a total surface area of 60 hectares, 20 of which will be equipped in the first phase, and which construction work began in October 2006.

3d aerial view of the ZEAL | Gate access ZEAL
© Empresa Portuaria Valparaíso

The ZEAL will join the logistics activities together in a single site that will provide support to import and export flows which are currently carried out between the Barón-Bellavista sector (in port) and the on-land port facilities located in Placilla. Once the Barón areas are freed up, the port company can hand over the land in order to start the construction of the Valparaiso waterfront opening and transformation project.

The ZEAL operations will begin in the first half of 2008, once the commissioning process that started in August 2007 has been concluded.

Valparaiso’s waterfront opening and transformation Plan

Valparaíso is one of the most important cities of Chile. It has incomparable structural strengths and has been hailed as the country’s cultural and legislative capital.

UNESCO declared it as a World Heritage Site in July 2003. As well as giving it important worldwide recognition, this constituted a great opportunity to give a new boost to the projection of its attributes which should be put to the best of use, always with the greatest respect to tradition and historic patrimony.

The Plan for the Opening and Transformation of the waterfront arose in this framework, an initiative that reinforces Valparaiso’s qualities of location and maritime scenery, since it allows using an area that is presently unknown to the city, and at the same time restores a central area of high urban value.

The Plan originated from a Ministry of Public Works of Chile (MOP) study presented to the Regional Council in the year 2000. Based on this study, Empresa Portuaria Valparaíso (EPV) – the port authority – developed a Master Plan for the waterfront, along with the technical contribution of a group integrated by national, regional, and municipal authorities.

One of the objectives of the EPV program was to create a development model for building infrastructure with a tourist vocation in harmony with the city’s urban development, but without limiting the possibilities for future growth of the port transference capacity.

First integration initiatives

In 2000, following this same spirit, Empresa Portuaria Valparaíso began an integration process with the community by creating a program of events called "Valparaíso, My Port". The idea was to draw the citizens of Valparaíso closer to the port and give them access to the watefront, blended with diverse recreational events. The first operations are launched straight away from 2001 in the sectors that are in the continuity of waterfront: the Promenade of Muelle Prat and the promenade of the Muelle Baron. Light facilities that require few investments are then built. They will quickly become environmental recreations and promenade spaces for the population. The promenade of the Muelle Baron was inaugurated on 2002, a first step and a first symbol of the opening of the waterfront. From 2002 to 2006, around 1,500,000 persons went on this promenade. Furthermore, in 2002-2003, a cruise terminal- granted to the private sector- was also created. Later, in October 2004, Puerto Deportivo completed this will to favour the appropriation of the project by the inhabitants by offering sporting events in the sector.

"Valparaíso Puerto Mio" © Empresa portuaria de Valparaíso

Master Plan

In 2001, EPV summoned to public bid the development of a Master Plan for the waterfront. After receiving the offers, the bid was awarded to a consortium made up by seven national companies and foreign consultants.

The group of consultants and professional, led by the firm San Martin y Pascal, elaborates the first comprehensive proposal, both at the level of the infrastructures, the urban planning choices as regards equipments and habits, and at the level of financing methods. After various changes and evolutions, notably to take into account the official registration of the City of Valparaiso in the world heritage of humanity, the project was approved by the Port of Valparaiso in 2003.

In the framework of the Master Plan, and then in the citizen surveys summoned by the Municipality of Valparaíso in 2003, and, subsequently, between 2004 and 2005, EPV implemented a public participation process with workshops for more than 500 people in diverse sessions. Furthermore, the consulting firm specialists met with political leaders, neighbors, and business people to inform them about the project and gather their important opinions.

Later, during the second half of 2004 and the first quarter of 2005, in a consolidation of the opening plan stage, the project met with all of the validation processes required from the authorities, such as the Regional Environmental Commission (COREMA) and the Government Accountability Office. But, most importantly, in August 2004 the Valparaiso Municipal Council approved the modification of the current territorial planning instruments in the Valparaíso District Zoning Regulations.

On March 20, 2005, EPV began the national and international public bid process for developing the Plan to open and transform the Valparaiso waterfront, which went on to be denominated the “Puerto Barón Project”.

On Friday, October 06, 2006, the EPV Board of Directors decided to award the concession of the Puerto Barón waterfront opening and transformation project to the Plaza Valparaíso firm from the Mall Plaza consortium, a group with experience and solvency in the development of this type of project.

In this way, Puerto Barón concluded its bidding process on November 10, 2006 with the signing of the concession and leasing contract with the Plaza Valparaíso firm to develop the aforementioned waterfront tourism-commercial initiative for thirty years.

Puerto Barón de Valparaíso Plaza Project

Puerto Barón is conceived as a mega urban development project for the city’s waterfront, which aim is to open a new space for integration between the city and the sea and constitute an attractive pole of economic and social development, through the construction of top quality tourism and commercial urban infrastructure.

This project consolidates the vision of city-port integration, by earmarking more than 60% of its 20 hectares for the development of public use spaces, in a strategic zone near Valparaiso’s urban and commercial center.

Puerto Barón takes into account top level development infrastructure for parks, walkways and plazas, hotels, restaurants, pubs, commerce, offices, public services, sports, art, culture and housing.

The area involved is located within the port along the waterfront, and next to the civic, urban, and commercial center of Valparaíso, with more than one kilometer of ocean front.

Puerto Barón will invigorate life in Valparaíso and will be an attractive pole for investment due to the advantages associated with its multiple-faceted development.

Project details

The architectural, urban and commercial project, elaborated by Plaza Valparaíso is based on a new concept of urban centers, where people can have a wide scale integral offer ranging from commercial and housing areas to service, financial, health, and recreational centers. The idea is to generate a waterfront neighborhood that interacts harmoniously with the port’s architecture and the ocean, taking in the best of maritime-port traditions.

Puerto Barón will have an ample and integral offer of products and services, incorporating cultural activities, gastronomy, entertainment and recreation, so as to respond to the multiple requirements of the inhabitants. For this, in a first stage, a library, a restaurant area, two department stores, 100 specialized stores and services, a supermarket, restaurants and gyms, will be built, among other services.

Among the works for public domain, along with the mandatory works: the Plaza Barón, Plaza Francia, the Coastal Walkway, and Bicentenario Avenue, the project includes other works such as: covered waterfront walkways for all year around use, interior pedestrian walkways oriented towards the ocean, and in a second stage, a sports-oriented marina.

For the construction of the project’s first phase, which will begin in 2008, US$100 million will be invested and 1.500 temporary jobs created. Once the initiative is inaugurated, it is expected that 2,500 permanent jobs will be generated.

In a second phase, the project includes the construction of a hotel, a convention center, a university, a medical center, a marin center, and a housing project of nearly 500 apartments, with lofts for offices and restaurants and commerce with an ocean view.