Last Monday, September 28, GEMOTT hosted a new edition of its Research Seminars, featuring Dr. Arturo Orellana, director of the Institute of Urban and Territorial Studies (IEUT) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The session was titled “Contributions to Urban and Territorial Development in Chile from Indicator Systems”.
During his presentation, Arturo Orellana reflected on the role of urban and territorial indicator systems as tools for understanding, diagnosing, and monitoring territorial realities, as well as for supporting decision-making and public policy formulation. As highlighted during the session, these systems allow for the transformation of dispersed data into useful information for management, facilitate the evaluation of plans and projects, and contribute to generating a shared information base among administrations, territorial agents, and citizens.
The presentation focused specifically on the Chilean context, where indicator systems can help identify and reduce territorial disparities, support decentralization processes and the management of regional governments, monitor national urban and territorial development policies, and guide public investment towards areas with greater deficiencies in services, facilities, and quality of life.
Throughout the seminar, Orellana presented two experiences of urban and territorial indicator systems developed in Chile. Firstly, the Territorial Infrastructure Support Index (ISIT), an index applied at the provincial scale that allows for the analysis of territorial infrastructure conditions and their suitability for hosting different economic and productive activities. The system integrates six dimensions (water, energy, telecommunications, roads, logistics, and resilience) based on 39 indicators. More information can be found at https://estudiosurbanos.uc.cl/documento/indice-de-soporte-a-la-infraestructura-territorial-isit-2025/
Secondly, the Urban Quality of Life Index (ICVU) was presented, a synthetic index that allows for the analysis of the urban quality of life in Chilean communes based on six dimensions related to the provision of public and private goods and services: labor conditions, business environment, sociocultural conditions, connectivity and mobility, health and environment, and housing and surroundings. More details on this indicator are available at https://estudiosurbanos.uc.cl/documento/icvu-2025-calidad-de-vida-urbana-decada/
The presentation also showed the evolution of ICVU results over the last decade, highlighting the existing territorial differences between different types of cities and territories in Chile and the utility of indicators for observing changes in urban and territorial conditions over time.
The session generated a space for debate and exchange regarding the use of indicators to understand territorial inequalities and guide urban and territorial policies, connecting the experience developed in Chile with the research and transfer lines being developed at GEMOTT.
GEMOTT extends special thanks to Arturo Orellana for his participation and the opportunity to share these experiences and reflections with our research group.
