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Participatory process for land readjustment as a strategy to gain the right to territory: The case of San José–Samborondón–Guayaquil

Abstract:

Urban development in Latin America in the last decades is the result of the formal and informal processes of land occupation. As the largest city and main port of Ecuador, Guayaquil is no exception and as a case study, offers new insights into the dynamics of these processes. This city's metropolitan expansion has exceeded its natural geographic limits (e.g. hills, rivers, estuaries), resulting in segregated populations and a fragmented urban landscape that exacerbates social inequalities. This paper explores the potentialities and limitations of a participatory process as a strategy to gain the right to territory, by investigating the case of the San José site, a rural area of Samborondón Canton, and metropolitan Guayaquil. The study assessed whether the methods used in combination with land management tools were appropriate for the community's process and needs and whether they contribute to the empowerment of rural and peripheral communities in the fight to claim land rights. Surveys and testimony concerning a participatory design in land readjustment are used. The research considers how a participatory process can allow inhabitants to become essential stakeholders in their community-planning process, to create a more equitable and inclusive city. Simultaneously, the process can contribute to providing essential knowledge for the different actors (public, private, and academic). The study discusses the potential and critical issues, limitations, and challenges of a participatory approach.