Abstract

Since the 1973 coup d’état, a series of socio-spatial transformations occurred in Chile that generated an increase in the asymmetry of the concentration of wealth and power. Peri-urban areas are the spaces that have undergone the fastest changes, reflecting the interests of multiple actors. Considering this background, the question that guides this research is: What is the power relationship of the actors that inhabit and intervene in the peri-urban area of Melipilla? To answer it, we develop a framework to mobilize the following concepts: actors, a system of action, power, institutions, instruments, territorial, and peri-urban governance. Then we conducted 23 semi-structured interviews and applied the techniques on historical analysis and content analysis. Thus, the results divide into two sections: the trajectory of the Communal Regulatory Plan action system (2013-2015) and the power relations between the actors. This work contributes to the emergence of six categories of power relations based on the territorial governance approach, and verifies the asymmetry and rupture of the centralist power flow in Chile.