Parque Metropolitano de Santiago Cerro San Cristóbal -one of 22 urban parks managed by Parquemet and exceeding 700 hectares- constitutes a major ecological and recreational asset within a densely populated metropolis. Located across a system of six urban hills, the park combines environmental value with intensive public use. Its steep terrain and extensive network of formal roads and both formal and informal trails make it particularly attractive for diverse cycling practices, from gravity-oriented mountain biking to endurance and recreational riding, while also supporting pedestrians, runners and other recreational users with differing expectations and risk perceptions. In this context, building collaborative governance has often felt like a process of collaborating uphill.
This contribution examines the Mesa de Trabajo established in 2025 between Parquemet and cycling communities as the most formal attempt to date to stabilize collaboration within this multi-user landscape. Previous interactions between riders and park authorities had enabled trail improvements and isolated initiatives, yet remained fragmented, informal and unable to consolidate over time. The Mesa introduces a more structured space organized through thematic commissions addressing safety and coexistence, events and infrastructure development, communication and participatory planning. Despite limited formal progress, the initiative has gathered over 150 participants, enabled informal agreements for events, volunteer trail maintenance and clean-up activities, dialogue on signage standardization and shared safety protocols.
Significant challenges remain. Only eight mountain biking trails currently some kind of formal recognition, while community mapping has identified at least 37 routes requiring institutional definition. Intermittent communication channels, leadership turnover, uneven participation, gender unbalance, weakening engagement and internal diversity among cycling disciplines and commitment levels constrain consolidation. Reputational stigma toward mountain biking in urban settings and limited public understanding of multi-user trail dynamics further complicate legitimacy.
While participants have attempted to familiarize themselves with international frameworks such as IMBA and ITRS, translating external models into locally viable governance arrangements remains difficult and no contact with international peer organization has been attempted. The case highlights how participation advances through incremental, negotiated steps and steps backwards, rather than linear institutionalization, in a context without a strong history of community participation. By sharing our interpretation of this experience, the session seeks to reflect collectively on how initiatives that have long been collaborating uphill might begin to move downhill — gaining coordination speed, legitimacy and stability without losing inclusiveness or environmental responsibility.
Author: Christian Blanco
Member of the Mesa de Trabajo de Ciclistas con Parquemet
PhD (c) in Sociology, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Heidelberg University
Primary email: chblancoj@gmail.com
Alternative email: christian.blanco@uni-heidelberg.de
Christian Blanco is a PhD researcher in Sociology at Heidelberg University whose work focuses on research evaluation, governance and the social sustainability of science. He has built his professional career in higher education and research policy, currently serving as Subdirector of International Research at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he leads initiatives on international collaboration and participatory research. Alongside his academic trajectory, he has maintained a lifelong engagement with cycling, particularly mountain biking, participating in community initiatives, trail stewardship and local advocacy. This dual perspective informs his interest in participatory governance, environmental responsibility and the role of recreational communities in shaping multi-user urban natural spaces, where he is now extending his academic interest.