Participatory planning and design in rural communities on the coast of Ecuador

Project name
Participatory planning and design in rural communities on the coast of Ecuador

Director:
Architect María Daniela Hidalgo Molina. Msc., PhD

Academic Unit:
School of Engineering
Research Center

SDG 11
The project Planning and participatory design in rural communities on the coast of Ecuador, aims to contribute to the knowledge in the line of research by providing cases and theory. The research includes theoretical and practical conceptual parameters studying referential cases, participatory methods applied in communities at the planning and design level. The project links different actors such as academia, public organizations and the community.

As regards sampling, interviews, questionnaires, field visits, on-site observation, secondary documents, organization of discussion groups were conducted; it is important to highlight the search for information on the physical aspects of the community, taking into account previous experiences based on the recommendations of urban planners and the author's interventions in other communities. The research was carried out with the participation of the students of the Faculty of Architecture and the community through participatory workshops.

The project meets the targets set out in SDG 11, "Sustainable Cities and Communities", which mentions the importance of increasing inclusive and sustainable urbanization and the capacity for participatory planning and management. In addition, human settlements should adopt and implement integrated policies and plans to promote inclusion, efficient use of resources, climate change mitigation and disaster resilience (Habitat, SDG 11, 2021).

1. This project has generated social impacts through participatory workshops that have led to the development of ¨El Plan Turístico en el Morro, delivered to the Municipality of Guayaquil¨. Proposal for the Pier, delivered to the Municipality of Naranjal. In addition, the delivery of the document ¨Lineamientos para la Política de Vivienda 2036¨ to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, I was in charge of the coordination of the Guayas table and in charge of the preparation of the document. Additionally, we participated in the preparation of the report ¨Fichas de Análisis Urbano del espacio público GEHL¨, organized by DUPOT, with the participation of students of Urban Design UEES, which is an important contribution for the data generated for better decision making.
2. This project has generated academic impacts through the publication of an indexed article, the publication of a book focused on ¨Sustainable Mobility: breaking the conventional paradigm¨. In addition, thesis of students linked to the project, which has caused a positive impact on young people as they have involved the community in the methodology of work, this generates an exchange of knowledge.
   During the Urban Design course I teach, which was shared with the Universidad de Desarrollo Chile, the students had the opportunity to attend international courses and exchange information to feed their urban proposals in the Monte Sinahí sector, an informal settlement in the northwest, outside the urban limits of the city of Guayaquil.
3. We generated links with the communities in the project implementation processes. In conferences, with the academic community for knowledge exchange. In the Urban Design course, exchange with a foreign university UDD CHILE. In the communities, an exchange of knowledge has been generated, and to know the importance of participatory processes for degree students.