Espacio público sustentable: diseño urbano-arquitectónico de una red de espacio público inclusivo para niños en el centro histórico de Cuenca

Abstract

The sustainable city has been on debate in the last years, and public space has been the core. Many urbanist have emphasized that the privatization of public space and the lack of accessibility and open space opportunities have been recurring problems in cities around the world. After identifying these problems within the historic center of Cuenca, especially the absence of children in public space, this thesis reflects on the importance of public space in the cities of Ecuador and concludes with the design of a network of inclusive public spaces for children in the study area. A theoretical review of the sustainable city and sustainable public space is developed, with emphasis on methodologies for the study of public space, the presence of children in urban areas, and playable spaces. A conceptual framework with the citizen as an active user is generated and a study of public policy and urban project is carried out in order to obtain design strategies. The study area within the historic center of Cuenca is delimited and evaluated with the methodologies established in the theoretical review. From the evaluation and the theoretical parameters developed, a network of inclusive public spaces for children is generated and four public space typologies are designed to contribute to the academic dialogue on the production of contemporary public space design and the current form of city making.