Determinación empírica del área de influencia de los espacios públicos abiertos (parques) en una muestra representativa de la ciudad de Cuenca, Ecuador

Abstract

The importance of open public spaces (EPAs), such as parks, squares or riverbanks, are widely recognized for their social, environmental and population health benefits. However, in Cuenca and other cities in the country and the region, the real area of influence of the EPAs and the population served by them is unknown. Traditional methods to estimate the area of influence do not take into account the road network, the available modes of transportation, or the attraction effect. Nor is there data available that indicates the real distance or time that people travel to go to these places. Therefore, this thesis presents a methodology to determine the areas of influence of the EPAs. First, a literature review is carried out to explore different methods applied in other places in the world. Then, surveys are applied to users in a sample of 20 parks in the city of Cuenca, to characterize the accessibility of people to these spaces, using the digital tool KoBo ToolBox. While for geographic analysis, software such as; Exploratory, Excel and QGIS. The motives, reasons, times, modes of transport and distances of park visitors were identified. This research contains comprehensive information on the general area of influence of the EPAs in Cuenca and in detail analyses the parks that are part of the sample for the study. In addition, this thesis offers valuable data collection for future urban planning of the city as well as a global methodology for other types of facilities.