Abstract

Industrial heritage existing in cities offers appropriate cases for devising rehabilitation projects by assigning new roles, pondering the historical-cultural contexts that led to its presence. In the late 19th century, Chile experienced a systematic opening up of trade, both nationally and internationally. This was consolidated in part, among other factors, by the strengthening of a rail network due to a growing demand for services associated with mining, port operations, agriculture, forestry and passenger transport, attaining a total extension of 7,658 km in 1913. This development prompted the construction of an infrastructure suitable for such purposes (e.g. roads, viaducts, bridges, stations, among others). Some of these structures were noteworthy for their architectural and engineering aesthetics, others for their ability to brilliantly overcome the challenges offered by topography. Despite this, after almost eight decades of clear and vigorous activity, the Military Dictatorship (1973- 1990) introduced a neoliberal economic system which, since 1978, neglected the Empresa Ferrocarriles del Estado’s (EFE) budget and the incentives for its operation. This progressive abandonment entailed the obsolescence of emblematic segments of the system, making it difficult to return to its initial layout. Despite this obsolescence of use – estimated by the diminution of serviceability, material deterioration and the absence of preventive conservation –, a significant number of them have been recognized by state heritage protection instruments, placing the contemporary discussion of their use and renewal in the sphere of the principles of Industrial Heritage. This article displays the methodological steps taken towards the characterization of the attributes of a railway bridge in Southern Chile and its applicability in an intervention project, following the UNESCO- ICOMOS Charters. Both actions have permitted a reflection on the enhancement of the railway infrastructure’s value and its programmatic reconversion within the public space, enabling material heritage revitalization through its reintegration into the communities urban dynamics.