The paper presents the methodology of research, design and implementation for the 'Strategic Urban Plan in La Araucania Region', an innovative design-led research launched by United Nation for Development and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning of Chile. The aim of the 'Strategic Urban Plan' was to identify, together with the governmental agencies, public services, expert and civil society, those urban key projects, which could potentially improve the vulnerable towns under study, located in La Araucania Region (Chile): Victoria, Vilcún and Traiguén. To ensure the local relevance and sustainability of projects, the research and design Team established a methodology that analyses, in depth, four fundamental aspects: environmental, urban, heritage and socio-economic. The projects included civil society participatory design process to identify the community´s needs, conflicts and expectations. The citizens´ requests were not only related to the improvement of urban condition, as expected in an urban plan, but also to the development of sustainable advances for the community: improvement of environmental condition, increasing of public transportation system, emissions reduction, recycling program, low-cost lighting, etcetera. The environmental awareness of the community reinforced the research team's proposal and demonstrated the relevance to make our cities more sustainable, efficient and resilient.