Assessment of Gaps and Needs of Access to Basic Infrastructure Services for the Poor in Chile

The Inter-American Development Bank’s (IADB) Building Opportunity for the Majority initiative, launched in June 2006, identified that inadequate access to basic infrastructure services (water, sanitation, electricity, urban transport and rural roads) negatively affected poverty levels and contributed to exclusion in Latin America. The IADB requested the Capstone team to undertake an assessment on the current conditions in Chile summarizing needs of access to basic infrastructure services for the poor, as well as to develop an integrated action plan to address those needs. The team undertook a desk report and fieldwork to gather information and identify the needs in access to basic infrastructure services for the poor, and highlight gaps in information. Ultimately, the report suggests potential areas of action for IADB’s support, and recommends interventions conducive to developing basic infrastructure for the majority in Chile.