The most beloved and the least protected: the green spaces of Villa Frei and Villa Olímpica

Abstract

In modern collective housing complexes, community green areas are often “the most cherished and the least protected”. This article examines that paradox in the Frei and Olímpica housing estates in Ñuñoa, Santiago de Chile. The goal is to understand how the heritage value of their public green spaces is constructed and why this value is only weakly reflected in protection instruments. The hypothesis is that, although green areas constitute the core of heritage as lived by communities, the current heritage and legal system recognizes them only in generic terms and does not provide specific mechanisms for their safeguarding. Methodologically, the study is based on surveys applied to residents and users of both estates,
complemented by the analysis of community dossiers submitted to obtain Historic District designation, official decrees, and regulatory frameworks related to heritage, co-ownership and the environment. The results show, on the one hand, that public green space is perceived as the main value of the neighborhood and, on the other, that its effective protection is constrained by institutional fragmentation. On this basis, the notion of “community green heritage” is proposed to describe this landscape as both highly valued and legally fragile.