For many residents, Santiago's subway system and its fare hikes became a nexus for anger over deeper inequities across Chilean society.
A fare hike of 3.75 percent might not sound like much, but it was enough to spark the massive protests that have engulfed Chile for nearly two weeks. According to reporting by Juan Pablo Garnham and Nicolás Alonso, Santiago's Metro system illuminated, for many, a landscape of rampant inequality that the government had failed to address.
Although 19 Metro stations have suffered arson attacks, many poorer residents appreciate the subway's connective capacity. "Its clean trains and stations full of art have been a metaphor for Chile as the 'good student' of Latin America," Garnham and Alonso write. At the same time, Santiago's Metro "is already one of the most expensive in Latin America, and had seen an increase in fares of almost 100 percent in 12 years."
FULL STORY: Why Chile’s Massive Protests Started With a Subway Fare Hike
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
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Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service