Decrease in the participation of the population in social organizations during the last thirteen years in Chile and implications for the construction of a policy of urban planning more participatory

The 2014 National Urban Development Policy of Chile defines among its objectives an "effective" public participation. However, as this article shows, participation in member-based organizations of diverse types has significantly decreased in Chile in general, and especially in the city of Santiago. The research conducted analyses data about participation in the national surveys casen 2000 and casen 2009, as well as in the survey Santiago Como Vamos 2013, demonstrating that participation in member-based organizations has decreased significantly in Santiago in the last thirteen years and that citizens lack interest in participatory urban planning tools. This article furthermore identifies the implications and challenges that these low levels of participation pose for building a more participatory urban planning policy.