El transporte público terrestre y la accesibilidad, instrumentos para el análisis funcional del sistema de asentamientos: el caso de Ecuador

Abstract

Long-distance public passenger transport by road is one of the principal means for the articulation of the settlements. In Ecuador, public transport is of massive use for long-distance travel and how routes are disponibles, the centers which interconnect, and frequencies of services suggest wich are the main relationships that take place in the territory. When there are no other expressive indicators of these relationships it becomes a fundamental source to know the functioning of urban systems. Likewise, the analysis of territorial accessibility contributes in a complementary way to defining these relationships, especially in areas where there are no public transport connections. The article analyzes territorial relations that occur at different levels of the system of settlements through the transport system and accessibility analysis, and made an approach to areas that are generated around the main nodal centers of Ecuador.