Formulación de una propuesta de estructura del sistema de asentamientos humanos para la zona 7 (provincias de El Oro, Loja y Zamora Chinchipe), desde la perspectiva de la ordenación territorial

Abstract

The present research has aimed at understanding the structure and function of the subsystem of human settlements in Zone 7, also called Southern Region of Ecuador that is constituted by the provinces of El Oro, Loja and Zamora Chinchipe, according to the State Territorial Organization. The research is based on the determination of the functional hierarchy of human settlements, considering as elements of observation the 190 urban and rural parishes that existed in the Region until 2010, made through the statistical method of aggregation of variables known as Main Components, on the basis of which it has been possible to determine the functional potential of human settlements and the functional relations between them, considering the specialized, intermediate and basic functions in the regional context; That is: Public services, private functions, professional services, wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing industries, infrastructure and transportation services, noting that functional centers underlie networks of cities of functional and intermediate levels. In turn, it is demonstrated that the way in which settlements are structured according to the State Territorial Organization generates dysfunctional areas, so it is proposed the formation of functional areas around centers that allow establishing a functional scale that allows the human settlements of Lower hierarchy greater accessibility to functions and services at different levels.