Los márgenes de los ríos urbanos como espacio público integrador. Relación entre las condiciones espaciales y sociales en las orillas del río Tomebamba

Abstract

Through the reflection of the urban sustainability, the public space is considered as a relevant place of meeting and integration of all the sectors of the society. This work evaluated the social conditions (living conditions) of the users of five areas of the Rio Tomebamba in the city of Cuenca, and then related them to the spatial conditions (place of origin and activity) in order to determine the level of integration of the river´s margins.

The final target is to formulate strategies of intervention that enable integration, permanent use and social interaction (tal vez interacción suena major que mezcla), and guarantee a democratic public space that offers opportunities to all the users independently of its social condition.

From this perspective, it was developed a record of the spatial and social conditions across surveys, statistical investigation and field observation to analyze separately the spatial and social analysis of the study areas, concluding objectively with analysis that indicate the current situation and the possibilities of promoting the integration spatial associate in the shores.

The outcomes reveal that the users of the public space belong to every socioeconomic class in similar percentages although the socioeconomic structure of the housings along the fluvial circuit generates segregation. Thus, it is possible to prove that the diversity of activities along the margins determines a major socioeconomic diversity user´s experience that they can recognize.