International Summit on Sustainable Cities 2024: La Araucanía welcomed international experts
The event brought together over 300 guests of national and international renown and featured the development of two working sessions and an innovation fair.
The main objective of the International Summit on Sustainable Cities Araucanía 2024 was to open spaces for dialogue around urban development, climate change, and the challenges of the construction industry. The event was held within the framework of the Corfo Sustainable Cities project, executed by the Business Accelerator ANIChile and the Autonomous University of Chile.
Jorge Pereda, general manager of AniChile, explained that this event achieved a connection with the main architecture companies in the La Araucanía Region. “This event marked an important reference in a Latin American context where we shared best practices with experts from countries such as Colombia, Uruguay, and, of course, Chile,” he affirmed.
For its part, the director of Corfo Araucanía, Eduardo Figueroa, highlighted that “we are promoting initiatives that promote sustainability in the region, with a firm commitment to work progressively with entrepreneurs, towards a more sustainable, equitable, and harmonious development model for all”.
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Finally, Daniel Schmidt, dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Construction and Environment of the university, said that, “Chile faces many sustainability challenges, where this summit brought together experts from other countries and sought to educate us with examples of fairer, more equitable, and friendly cities. As a university, we are delighted that our Temuco campus was chosen as the venue for this event, thus reinforcing our policy of University Social Responsibility (RSU) that promotes a socially responsible and sustainable culture”.
Sustainable education
Among the international speakers was Dr. Paula Cardellino, research professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the ORT University of Uruguay, with her presentation: “Building the Future: Civic Innovation, Educational Transformation and the Role of Architecture”.
In her presentation, she highlighted the importance of constructions at the educational level, while also emphasizing that they play a very significant role in academic formation. “The architectural building destined for education must educate; hence the need for it to be sustainable, as it will provide a more friendly teaching”, she added.
Also present on the panel was Santiago Borsari, who addressed civic participation in action with innovative and sustainable strategies through the experience of the Aparicio Saravia Reference Center. Meanwhile, from Colombia, architect Jorge Pérez delivered a keynote speech on Medellín.
Innovation fair
Parallel to the summit, a Sustainable Innovation Fair was held, where national entrepreneurs showcased how their ventures and services positively impact the environment.
The stands used for this fair were crafted with cutting-edge technology, using computer numerical control and supra-recycling materials, enabling their reuse.