Improvement of the Dalcahue Church Plaza

The “Improvement of the Dalcahue Church Plaza” project is part of the competitive Public Spaces program of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, driven by the Municipality of Dalcahue. The intervention area covers 1.06 hectares around the main plaza and San Martín, Arturo Prat and Pedro Montt streets, incorporating the coastal edge and the immediate surroundings of the Church of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, a monument of great historical and landscape value.

Heritage and History

The archaeological analysis and historical assessment underpin the intervention: areas sensitive to findings were identified, especially near the church, which requires permanent archaeological monitoring during construction works. The study highlights that Dalcahue reflects the coastal occupation system characteristic of Chiloé, and the plaza preserves trees planted in 1957 that are part of local memory, as well as being testimony to community processes such as its urbanization following the 1960 earthquake.

Assessment

The assessment revealed pathways with no hierarchy or orientation toward the church, edges occupied by tourist buses and vehicles, deteriorated pavements and memorials, and a lack of infrastructure along the coastal walkway —conditions that affect the connectivity, accessibility and civic and tourist use of the area.

The Proposal: Unifying the Plaza

The proposal seeks to unify the plaza as an environmental unit, enhance its historical attributes and guarantee universal accessibility. In the San Martín zone, sidewalks are widened and parking is reorganized while preserving valuable plant species; on the historic esplanade, the playground is relocated to free up the area around the church and the traditional visual axes are reinforced; and on Arturo Prat and Pedro Montt streets, parking is removed in favor of a pedestrian coastal edge, linked to future municipal projects such as a pier and a cultural space.

Urban Furniture and Paving

The urban furniture includes wood and concrete benches, drinking fountains, bike racks and relocated trash bins, while existing memorials —such as the one dedicated to the Chilote fisherman— are preserved and improved. For paving, homogeneous materials are chosen —concrete pavers, concrete and engineered wood— to unify textures and highlight the church’s heritage value, consolidating the plaza as a civic, tourist and community node of regional significance.