Caracterización de los procesos de urbanización en el periurbano de Cuenca en torno a los ejes viales principales de la parroquia San Joaquín

Abstract

The peri-urban area, a transitional zone between urban and rural areas, undergoes constant transformations due to the confluence of socioeconomic and environmental forces. In Latin America, this dynamic is particularly evident due to similarities in socioeconomic and political conditions. This study analyzes the impacts of these transformations on the peri-urban landscape, taking the parish of San Joaquín in Cuenca, Ecuador, as a case study. Urban expansion, driven by infrastructure such as General Escandón Avenue and the (Medio Ejido, San Joaquín, Sayausí) highway, has generated tensions between the rural and urban areas, evidencing growing social inequality and the loss of biodiversity. Through a historical and spatial analysis, the socio-spatial structure that configures the landscape is revealed, allowing us to understand how socioeconomic dynamics have shaped the territory. The results obtained contribute to the classification of peri-urban landscape types according to their morphological characteristics and facilitate sustainable territorial planning.