Urban Regeneration and its Implications for Community Health in Neighborhoods in Southern Chile

Abstract

Objective: To identify the changes and consequences for the community’s health and well-being after the enforcement of the “Quiero mi Barrio” (I Love my Neighborhood) program in Chile. Materials and Methods: The qualitative study was based on the analysis of the discursive content of the interviews conducted during focus group sessions with 16 leaders who were members of the “Developmental Neighborhood Committee” in Temuco, Chile. Results: After the program’s implementation, it was possible to identify changes in community spaces, such as landfill eradication, the establishment of spaces that promote leisure, and the generation of communal encounter instances, which implied an increase in the usage of neighborhoods’ public spaces for physical activity and neighbor coexistence. Conclusions: The results indicate that this program contributes to infrastructure and social management, strengthening community health in the studied neighborhoods.