Sustainable urbanism or amenity migration fad: critical analysis of urban planning of Cuenca cityscapes, Ecuador

Abstract:

Around the world cities must maintain a livable urban environment. New York and Barcelona were once urbanism exemplars, but the ecological vision and architectural expansion during recent decades have given way to a paradigm shift that poorly comprises the development trends of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Urban planning insufficiently ponders the aspirations of urban dwellers with the city socio-economic functions, resulting in imbalances characterized by increasing traffic jams, social and economic injustice, and environmental degradation. As the case in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador, urban development clearly illustrates a poorly controlled expansion with serious friction in labor and housing markets, with little room for green spaces within and around the city, as was the case in the past. This study illustrates the discrepancy between the theory and practice in the field of urban planning using the Andean city of Cuenca as case study. Whereas the new urban planning doctrine speaks of an intricate balance between the socio-economic and environmental functions in the urban space towards sustainable living, the city actually looks more disorganized, chaotic and unsustainable every day. In addition to explaining the current planning pbkp_redicament of the city, the shortcomings in urban planning are pinpointed on the basis of theoretical and philosophical grounds for cityscapes. Good practice of urban design and planning should be based on a sound understanding of the dynamics and complexities in the character of cities exhibiting their essence of place. In this chapter, the authors aim to boost scientific discussion on sound environmental and sustainable urban planning.

Año de publicación:

2020

Keywords:

Fuente:

scopus