The illegal occupation of land in the quebradas, and the building of real neighborhoods outside the established order, find their point of departure in a structural crisis of identity of social housing in Valparaiso, Chile. It is impossible to consider these actions as a mechanical response to deficiency. It is a social process, closely linked to the relationship between the social forces, it's essential characteristic being the construction of residential self built neighborhoods, in total illegality. The quebradas as territorial and persistent natural units are in a proces of constant occupation and degradation, since there are no precise and specific urban strategies for this type of environment, assuming that they will disappear, without considering the benefits they produce for the whole city as climate controllers. Under these conditions, what are the values of the quebradas that should be taken into account in future approaches to urbanization? Can they be integrated into a special urban planning? May the current construction standards be modified by pursuing a real integration in the city and a full administration of its natural heritage? Will they become like urban parks that include social housing? We will talk about quebrada, since it is common in Valparaiso to use this term in reference to small valleys incised as soon as one moves away from the coastal plain.
