Abstract

A contradictory situation between the configuration of the urban form of Quilpue (173.617 inhabitants, 2017) and Villa Alemana (145.139 inhabitants, 2017) and their local management has been identified. The two cities make up an urban entity that belongs to the Metropolitan Area of Valparaiso in Chile (992.976 inhabitants, 2017); while, on the other hand, their local administrations are configured in two different municipalities that are independent. This situation prevents them from efficiently solving common problems. The methodology is based on a cartographic analysis of the urban growth of Quilpue and Villa Alemana from 1860 to 2016 in order to recognise the moment at which these cities became spatially united and to relate this moment to historical facts that triggered such conformation. The influence of the remaining cities of the Metropolitan Area of Valparaiso and the commuter train that connects these cities is discussed. Municipal management is also analysed, in order to address the benefits of an integrated urban management based on strategic associativity. The results show the effectiveness that municipal associativity brings to intertwined cities that, in spite of being part of the same urban form in the territory, manage their problems separately.