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Talca Earthquake Case Study

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Throughout the last decades, Talca has maintained its intermediate city scale characteristics. Over the last years before the earthquake, some changes in the real state market were observed. However, for the most part, the city kept its traditional urban layout as well as its socio-economic diversity within the inner neighbourhoods (Inzulza, 2014; Letelier, 2013)

An 8.8 Richter scale earthquake hits the central-south region of Chile. Talca is among the most hardly hit cities, following Concepcion and Constitución. Around 50% of the city centre infrastructure results seriously damaged, especially old adobe houses. Among the affected buildings, institutional, historical and civic amenities are left at the brink of destruction. The damage to the city was also …show more content…

Real estate offers are made to families who’ve lost everything. Plots are offered half their real market value (Letelier, 2010).

The major of the city decides to support the government official reconstruction plans, left in the hands of the Hurtado-Vicuña group, a private real-estate consortium called and established by the newly elected right-wing government (Letelier, 2010). The citizens of Talca gather together to manifest their discontent with the imminent loss of the Escuela Las Concentradas and the Mercado Central de Talca – both recognized as part of the city’s historic heritage (Becerra, 2016). The manifestation also reckons the discontent towards the major’s decision to support the Hurtado-Vicuña group. Months after the earthquake, government subsidies irrupt the scene. People are let to choose among different options given by the government. Due to the financial limitations of families to rebuild their old houses, many of them decide to accept houses build in the periphery of Talca. Others accept building new houses in their plots (Cárdenas,

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