Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y Saberes
2022, Vol. 12, No. 2 e-ISSN: 1390-8146
Published by: Luis Vargas Torres Technical University
How to cite this article (APA): Gómez, E. (2022) Efficiency of urban mobility in La Troncal canton using
computational tools, Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y Saberes, 12(2) 49-69.
Urban Sustainability Indicator Systems for the Canton of La Libertad
Sistemas de indicadores de Sostenibilidad Urbana del cantón La Libertad
Nathyn Victor Collins Ventura
Mgtr. Nathyn Collins Ventura. Santa Elena Peninsula State University. Salinas, Ecuador, collinsnat_17@live.com ORCID: 0000-0003-3775-3439
The objective of the research is to design a model of urban sustainability
indicators to strengthen the local development of the canton of La
Libertad; urban sustainability indicators have been seen as signals that
mark the progress of the achievement of the objectives and goals set in
the urban planning process, and allow making relevant and timely
decisions. The types of research used are descriptive and analytical, by
measuring variables through the deductive and inductive methods; a
population of 48671 was considered, corresponding to the number of
inhabitants of the canton of La Libertad between the ages of 20 and
64, from which a sample of 356 people was selected. The proposed
model MSUCLL - 2021, is a model determined in relation to the criteria
determined in the research, thus allowing the improvement of critical
factors that affect urban sustainability; it includes 4 axes: compactness
and functionality, urban complexity, efficiency, and social cohesion.
Keywords: compactness, urban complexity, local development,
unsustainability, urban sustainability.
Resumen
El objetivo de la investigación es diseñar un modelo de indicadores de
sostenibilidad urbana que permita fortalecer el desarrollo local del
cantón La Libertad; los indicadores de sostenibilidad urbana han sido
vistos como señales que marcan el avance de la consecución de los
objetivos y metas planteados en el proceso de planeamiento urbano, y
permiten tomar decisiones relevantes y oportunas. Los tipos de
investigación empleada son descriptiva y analítica, mediante la
medición de variables a través de los métodos: deductivo, e inductivo;
se consideró una población 48671 que corresponden al número de
habitantes del cantón de La Libertad entre edades de 20 a 64 os,
en los que se selección una muestra de 356 personas. El modelo
propuesto MSUCLL 2021, es un modelo determinado en relación a los
criterios determinados en la investigación, permitiendo así mejorar
factores críticos que afectan a la sostenibilidad urbana; incluye 4 ejes:
compacidad y funcionalidad, complejidad urbana, eficiencia, y
cohesión social.
Abstract
Received 2021-11-23
Revised 2022-01-23
Accepted 2022- 02-11
Published 2022-05-04
Corresponding Author
Nathyn Victor Collins Ventura
collinsnat_17@live.com
Pages: 49- 69
https://creativecommons.org/lice
nses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Distributed under
Copyright: © The Author(s)
Urban Sustainability Indicator Systems for the Canton of La Libertad
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50
Palabras clave: compacidad, complejidad urbana, desarrollo local,
insostenibilidad, sostenibilidad urbana.
Introduction
According to Gambarota, (2019) Sustainability is focused within the
interaction of environmental, economic and social objectives, its principles are
required to be specified through indicators and indexes that allow evaluating
the strengths or resources that a city has to be sustainable, the restrictions of
various kinds, especially the natural physical ones, the vulnerability of the
population, of the built structure and of the ecosystem, and its behavior over
time.
It is currently accepted that the degradation of the urban environment is the
main factor limiting the capacity for social, economic and physical
development of cities around the world, especially in developing country
settlements. In recent decades, the question of the capacity of cities to improve
and maintain adequate conditions for the habitability of their present and
future citizens has been highlighted.
Sustainable development is conceived as a process that can define the path
towards a rational model that emphasizes the importance of satisfying the
essential needs of those who have the least, without compromising the balance
of natural resources. Under this approach, the economic and environmental
variables must be complemented by an equity variable that emphasizes
quality of life indicators.
The instruments of the strong sustainability approach are the most demanded
in the urban sphere, specifically, the analysis of the urban ecological footprint,
carrying capacity and ecosystem indicators. However, this preference does
not avoid the obstacle it faces: it is necessary to collect a type of information,
usually through the use of physical indicators, to which the institutions that
handle statistics are not accustomed or experienced, specifically, data on the
interaction between natural and urban ecosystems.
Unsustainability is an obligatory topic of reflection at the present time on the
planet, where the great challenges to be faced are marked by climate
change, population growth and accelerated urbanization, the consequences of
which go hand in hand with irrational consumption of resources, pollution,
inequality and poverty. In Latin America, this situation is reflected in
discontinuous urban growth, poor peripheries, low densities, deficits in
infrastructure and services, among other factors that have been considered
triggers of socio-environmental and health problems for its population; facts
that demand to be addressed through more comprehensive planning processes
that include sustainability criteria and measurement mechanisms such as
sustainability indicators and indexes, to help forge more sustainable cities and
territories.
According to Mariani, (2018) urban sustainability is underpinned by five
pillars: compactness, complexity, energy efficiency, social cohesion and
governance. It refers to the Mediterranean compact and sustainable city that
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fits the sustainable city model. A model in which the systemic approach to the
relationship between city, environment and its components: territory,
environment, population and economy prevails; however, this model proposes
its actions at a smaller scale level such as the neighborhood. The latter being
the preferred sphere of action because it is considered the basic territorial
unit in the city, where sustainable proposals will have a greater chance of
being applied and appropriated by its inhabitants, generating a greater
impact on the city.
The implementation of these public policies in the canton of La Libertad
requires instruments, methodologies, tools and instances of coordination,
information and strategies for their adequate execution, as indicated in the
reference guiding document. It is evident then to highlight, that among the
national development objectives Semplades, (2021) emphasizes in the second
axis, referred to the Economy at the service of society, the need to consolidate
the sustainability of the economic, social and solidarity system, boost
productivity and competitiveness for sustainable economic growth, develop
productive capacities and the environment, to achieve food sovereignty and
Good Living, aspects to consider in the proposal of a methodology for the
implementation of Local Agenda 21 in rural and urban communities of
Ecuador.
For Quiroga, (2019) urban sustainability is supported by five pillars:
compactness, complexity, energy efficiency, social cohesion and governance;
it refers to the Mediterranean compact and sustainable city that fits the
sustainable city model. Model in which the systemic approach of the
relationship between city and environment prevails, as well as its components:
territory, environment, population and economy; however, this model proposes
its actions at a smaller scale level such as the neighborhood.
According to Borja, (2019) states that urbanism must be balanced and
integrating, urban planning and management must be developed in such a
way that cities guarantee a balance between urban development and the
protection of historical, cultural and natural heritage, generating social
cohesion; thus avoiding a dispersed, fragmented and segregating urbanism,
which allows the city to become a non-city, as happens with the peripheries.
According to Monfort, (2020) urban sustainability indicators have been seen
as signals that mark the progress in achieving the objectives and goals set out
in the urban planning process, and allow relevant and timely decisions to be
made. Therefore, their role is important because they become magnitudes that
can be measured and interpreted in order to identify the behavior of society
in relation to the surrounding natural system.
According to Marquez, (2019) Indicators are considered as effective tools for
communicating complex processes in both social, political and economic
spheres; they are defined as identifiable and measurable characteristics of
cities that evaluate progress or setbacks in the sustainability process, whose
selection constitutes a technical and political choice of important consequences,
because these parameters serve as a guide for setting objectives and these,
in turn, become physical limits defined in measurable terms.
According to Urbano & Sánchez, (2018) sustainability requires solvent
indicators that allow detecting changes in natural dynamics or variations in
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socioeconomic activity; it is necessary to establish general criteria that allow
choosing the most suitable indicators to be used. In this sense, there are six
general and necessary criteria that will serve as references for the selection
of the final set of indicators:
Relevance and pertinence: Determines whether the indicator is appropriate
and relevant in the context of sustainable mobility; this criterion should be used
to assess the indicator's connection to the issues addressed by the study.
2. Clarity of focus and meaning: The indicator must be clear and simple so that
it is easy to understand and interpret; its meaning must be unambiguous and
reflect the object of the assessment accurately.
3. Measurable and verifiable: An indicator must be measurable in quantitative
or qualitative terms, since the greatest usefulness of an indicator is to be able
to compare it between the measured situation and the expected situation. Its
calculation must be adequately supported and documented for follow-up and
evaluation.
4. Data availability and quality: Refers to the degree to which data are
accessible for use as part of the study; this criterion requires the identification
of possible primary and secondary data sources, which must be reliable, valid,
and complete.
5. Universal and comparable: Despite the disparity of territorial realities, the
starting point should always be the attempt to conceive the indicators as
universally as possible, ensuring that they can be valid for the maximum
number of territories and, thus, to be able to compare them.
Sensitive: Indicators must be adapted to the level of aggregation of the
analysis of the system under study; for this reason, it is essential that these
indicators be sensitive to changes so that they can be transferred to multiple
ecosystems.
The selection process of sustainable indicators is carried out through a matrix
formed by the initial set of indicators obtained through the bibliographic
review and the general criteria mentioned above, in which those that do not
meet the requirements will be discarded.
For Alarcón Pérez & González Becerra, (2018) local development is a set of
economic, social, cultural, political and territorial processes through which a
community, based on its own potential and the opportunities provided by the
environment, accesses well-being, without exclusions or discrimination, and
guarantees the conditions so that future generations can also do so.
Local development appears to provide solutions to the problems that exist in
the locality, for this it is necessary to take into account the specific
characteristics of the territory that are essential and must be considered to
focus the development towards the community; therefore, it is a factor of
democracy and sustainable development, which does not arise by chance, but
as a result of the previous state of affairs, as a different and alternative route
of national and regional development (Pérez & Hernández, 2015).
Local and community development is an important link in the sociocultural
development of society. The United Nations Organization (UNO) has made an
emphatic and profound statement in this regard, considering that the feeling
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of identity with the community, with its purposes and objectives, is a
precondition for generating and sustaining community development. It is a
process aimed at creating conditions of economic and social progress for the
entire community, with the real participation of its stakeholders in improving
their standard of living.
(Sotelo , 2017) associates local development as a process of multiple
objectives, which are: efficiency in the allocation of resources for territorial
competition; equity in the distribution of income and balance of the
environmental setting for the conservation of the territorial productive system.
Therefore, participation is considered as a process in which the community
commits itself to the transformation of its own reality and assumes the tasks
that correspond to it. Local development as a process is of great importance
in the organizational and educational sense: organizational, because it
requires the reorientation of existing institutions or the creation of new types
of institutions, and educational because it implies the change of attitudes and
practices that hinder socioeconomic improvements.
According to Tortajada Martínez, (2018) Local development is one of the most
significant factors in the creation of networks that favor the quality of life of
the inhabitants and the care and protection of resources, being its axis of
transformation, the local space, that is, the space in which each person can act.
Therefore, it has the necessary elements to carry out this improvement of space
and society of which it has been made protagonist, with the need to involve
global actors as well as local agents and population.
Methodology
This research was carried out in the canton of La Libertad, with the purpose of
evaluating urban sustainability and determining indicators that contribute to
local development; therefore, it is considered necessary to establish a
sustainability model to strengthen the critical factors associated with the topic
of study.
To develop the research, the descriptive type was used to learn about the
topic of study through the theoretical disaggregation of the variables, and a
situational analysis of the urban sustainability of the canton of La Libertad was
also carried out; in order to identify the problem of study, and thus raise the
proposal.
The project also used analytical research, through indicators that allowed the
analysis of the study variables, in addition to knowing the factors that influence
urban sustainability; therefore, an analysis of the results obtained in the data
collection was carried out, in order to identify the critical factors that should
be improved, in order to strengthen local development in the canton of La
Libertad.
To obtain the results of this research, qualitative research was used to learn
about factors related to urban sustainability and local development, through
a literature review on the variables of studies; on the other hand, quantitative
research was used to determine the level of urban sustainability of the canton
La Libertad; likewise, in this research different methods of practical and
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experimental nature were used to learn about the current situation of urban
sustainability in the canton La Libertad, which is detailed below:
This method made it possible to learn about the object of study, design tools
and strategic actions according to the environment, through direct observation
of the object of study and interviews with those involved.
This method made it possible to draw a conclusion from the study variables in
order to identify the critical factors related to sustainable development, and
to develop the urban sustainability metamodel.
This method made it possible to analyze data obtained in the field research,
starting from an exhaustive analysis of the study variables by measuring urban
sustainability indicators to be carried out on those involved in the study,
through the determination of factors related to local development.
In the present study, a population of 48,671 was considered, which
corresponds to the number of inhabitants of the canton of La Libertad between
the ages of 20 and 64 years, which is 50.73% of a total of 95,942 data
obtained in the Inec 2010.
The sample size is 356 people to survey in order to know in depth about the
object of study, with a confidence level of 95%, a margin of error of 5%, and
with a 50% probability of being fulfilled, and a population is 48671
corresponding to the number of inhabitants of the canton of La Libertad
between the ages of 20 to 64 years which is 50.73% of a total of 95,942
data obtained in the Inec year 2010.
Probabilistic sampling was used, through systematic sampling, in which a
database was used to obtain the people to be surveyed, using an Excel
function to determine the person to be surveyed, and then a pattern was used
to continue the selection process.
For the development of the research topic, several sources were used to obtain
the necessary information for the design of the urban sustainability model for
the canton of La Libertad, which are detailed below:
Field information was obtained through the application of data collection
techniques to learn about the topic of the research study. This technique was
used to learn about the situational reality of Urban Sustainability in the canton
of La Libertad, through a questionnaire addressed to experts in the topic of
study, in order to identify the critical factors oriented to the topic of study.
Indirect observation was carried out to identify the factors associated with
urban sustainability and local development in the canton of La Libertad, in
order to establish the model of sustainability indicators that is part of the study
proposal.
The inhabitants of the canton of La Libertad were surveyed in order to
evaluate the factors involved in urban sustainability; therefore, 4 identification
questions and 10 research questions were asked to validate the proposal.
Secondary source information was used in order to have the theoretical and
reference argumentation related to the topic of study and the proposal
designed, for this purpose a documentary and virtual review will be used,
which will allow access to books, scientific articles, theses and documents
related to the research topic.
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Results
Through the analysis of the compactness axis, it was possible to evaluate the
indicators related to the dimensions: urban morphology, public space, mobility
and services; in order to determine the proximity between urban uses and
functions. Based on this group of indicators, a building density and an
adequate degree of compactness are proposed to allow a rapprochement
between urban uses and functions, which configures an adequate public space
and generates an idea of the city.
Table 1 Urban morphology indicators
Axis 1
Indicator
Parameters/conditioning
Scope of
measurement
Dimension
1:
Urban
morphology
Housing
density
Minimum housing density of 60
dwellings/Ha.
100 x 100
m2
Absolute
compactness
Absolute compactness values
higher than 5 meters (Indicative
index of net buildability: > 1.2
m2c/m2s).
200 x 200
m2
Corrected
compactness
Corrected compactness values
between 10 - 50 meters (living
space per inhabitant: 10-20
m2/inhabitant).
200 x 200
m2
Corrected
and weighted
compactness
Weighted corrected
compactness values between 10
and 50 meters.
200 x 200
m2
Source: Own elaboration with data from the Gad of La Libertad canton.
It is important that the canton of La Libertad does not encourage the growth
of private urbanization, because it fragments the urban fabric, produces
insularization of public space and green areas, departing from the regulations
set by municipal ordinances; it also configures a false idea of security by
creating separation barriers with the adjacent urban fabric. This situation
determines the distancing of human relations, coexistence, and control of the
street, which is the basis of urban complexity. With this, a balance is sought
between function and urban organization, and the spaces destined to the
citizen such as: leisure, tranquility and contact with the green; in this area, the
corrected compactness becomes a fundamental indicator to determine the
balance between urban compression and decompression.
Table 2. Indicators of public space and control of environmental variables
Axis 1
Indicator
Parameters
conditioning
Scope of
measurement
Area
Dimension 2:
Public space
and control of
environmental
variables
Public road
space.
Public roads for
pedestrians
and other uses
of public space
(resident
400 x 400
m2
Urban
Planning/
Mobility
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vehicles,
loading and
unloading,
emergency
vehicles, cab
service) greater
than 75%.
Public roads
used for transit
vehicles and
public transport
with a surface
area of less
than 25%.
Accessibility
of pedestrian
transit space.
Fully accessible
pedestrian
transit space:
sidewalks with
a minimum
width of 2.5
meters, and a
longitudinal
slope of less
than 6%:
Surface area
of
development
sector
Urban
Planning/
Mobility
Thermal
comfort
Minimum
obstruction of
30% of solar
radiation in the
public space
(shadows cast
by trees).
Surface area
of
development
sector
Urbanism
Acoustic
comfort
Percentage of
population
exposed
according to
noise level.
- Daytime noise
level: < 65 dBA
(15% of the
population);
>70 dBA (25%
of the
population)
Surface area
of
development
sector
Urban
Planning/
Mobility
Source: Own elaboration with data from the Gad of La Libertad canton.
Based on the results of the research, it is proposed to reduce the allocation of
motorized roads to 25% and increase to 75% the remaining roads for urban
uses and functions. The non-motorized public spaces will make it possible to
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configure a network of interconnected pedestrian routes within the superblock.
This action potentially frees up new surface areas for unrestricted use of public
space, thus generating accessibility for all groups, including those with reduced
mobility.
Table 3. Mobility and services indicators
Axis 1
Indicator
Parameters/conditioning
Scope of
measurement
Area
Dimension
3:
Mobility
and
services
Proximity to
surface public
transportation
stops.
Access to public
transportation stops at a
distance of less than 300
meters.
400 x 400
m2
Urban
Planning/
Mobility
Proximity and
provision of
bicycle
parking
spaces.
Access to a bicycle network
at a distance of 5
kilometers, so that it can
become a means of
transportation.
Surface area
of
development
sector
Urban
Planning/
Mobility
Proximity and
provision of
parking
spaces for
private
vehicles.
Minimum reserve of paid
zone parking spaces every
3k. in regenerated sites.
Surface area
of
development
sector
Urban
Planning/
Mobility
Source: Own elaboration with data from the Gad of La Libertad canton.
With regard to public transport, it is recommended that stops be located at a
distance of no more than 300 meters from any point in the urban fabric and
from the network of bicycle lanes. As for bicycles, it is recommended that their
parking should be located in different parts of the city to ensure their safety.
For this purpose, the creation of a network of basic roads connecting the entire
urban fabric is conditioned; these roads will be distributed into: roads for
transit vehicles and roads for public transport.
By analyzing the urban complexity of the canton of La Libertad to know the
level of multifunctionality of a territory, this way there is a better approach
and proximity man/activity. First floor activities are fundamental for attracting
people to public space, generating greater concurrence and strengthening the
perception of safety. Measuring the degree of knowledge of an urban system
is fundamental for the generation of new activities that are considered as the
basis of the competitiveness strategy of the new city.
Table 4 Urban complexity indicators
Axis 2
Indicator
Parameters
conditioning
Scope of
measurement
Area
Dimension
1: Urban
complexity
Urban
complexity.
Urban diversity values
higher than 4 bits of
information per
200 x 200
m2
Urbanism
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individual. Values higher
than 6 bits in areas of
new centrality (areas of
commercial attraction,
offices, advanced
services, transportation
centers).
Proximity
commercial
activities.
Minimum reserve of 10%
of non-residential
lucrative use for
proximity commercial use
(daily activities).
200 x 200
m2
Urbanism
Dimensions of
commercial
premises on
the first floor.
Division of the first floor
destined to commercial
premises in useful surface
from 50 m2 and up to a
maximum of 200m2.
Application for 80% of
the premises located in
plots of land with main
residential use.
200 x 200
m2
Urbanism
Spatial and
functional
continuity of
the corridor
street.
Percentage of street
sections (linear meters)
with high or very high
spatial sequence
interaction, higher than
25% (ratio between the
density of activities and
the percentage of public
road for pedestrians per
street section).
Surface area
of
development
sector
Urbanism
Source: Own elaboration with data from the Gad of La Libertad canton.
On the other hand, the dimension of green spaces and biodiversity that allows
the articulation of a network of green spaces easily accessible on a daily basis
in the city was evaluated. To this end, the conformation of an urban green
network is conditioned by the formation of a green urban network generated
both by land assigned by urbanization and by land previously planned for
this use. Regarding soil impermeability and its impact on life, the promotion of
permeable soils and green roofs is recommended.
Table 5. Urban complexity indicators
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Axis 2
Indicator
Parameters
conditioning
Scope of
measurement
Area
Dimension
2: Urban
complexity
Proximity to
spaces
green.
Simultaneous
access to green
spaces according
to surface and
walking distance:
a) green space >
1000 m2 less than
200 meters; b)
green space >
5000 m2 less than
750 meters; c)
green space > 1
ha. At less than
2000 meters;
green space > 10
Ha., at less than
4000 meters.
200 x 200 m2
Urban
planning /
Biodiversity
Soil
permeability
Percentage of
permeable soil
higher than 30%
(soil biotic index).
Compensation of
sealing in
waterproofing of
the soil.
200 x 200 m2
Urban
planning /
Biodiversity
Provision of
trees in public
spaces
according to
surface area
occupied.
Provision of 1 tree
for every 20 m2
of built-up area.
Surface area
of
development
sector
Urban
planning /
Biodiversity
Proximity to
urban green
corridors.
Access to an urban
green corridor at
a distance of less
than 600 meters.
Surface area
of
development
sector
Urban
planning /
Biodiversity
Source: Own elaboration with data from the Gad of La Libertad canton.
Through the analysis of urban metabolism indicators, energy self-sufficiency
was evaluated based on: strengthening the use of solar and geothermal
energy, the generation of energy flows and storage (from organic matter),
the incorporation of passive systems in construction, and energy savings with
high-efficiency lighting fixtures. It is important to promote the reduction of
water use from the network, the combination of rainwater harvesting measures,
the use of reclaimed water for irrigation and vehicle washing, and the
promotion of the use of efficient household appliances and toilets, are
fundamental actions for achieving the objectives of this new urban model.
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The proposed model MSUCLL - 2021, is a metamodel that has the name by
its acronym identified as: Model of urban sustainability of the canton La
Libertad developed in 2021, aims to strengthen local development. The
determined model is designed in relation to the criteria determined in the
research, thus allowing the improvement of critical factors that affect urban
sustainability; it includes 4 axes: compactness and functionality, urban
complexity, efficiency, and social cohesion.
Compactness is the axis that takes into account the physical reality of the
territory and, therefore, the formal solutions adopted: the density of buildings,
the distribution of spatial uses, the percentage of green space or roads. It
determines the proximity between urban uses and functions. This axis is
accompanied by the mobility and public space model and the derived spatial
planning model.
Public space is the structural element of a more sustainable city model; it is the
space for citizen coexistence and forms, together with the network of facilities
and green and recreational spaces, the main axes of social life and
relationships. The quality of space is not only an indicator related to the
concept of compactness, but is also an indicator of stability.
Complexity refers to urban organization, to the degree of mixticity of uses
and functions implemented in a given territory. Urban complexity is a reflection
of the interactions established in the city between organized entities, also
called legal entities: economic activities, associations, facilities and institutions.
Complexity is linked to a certain mixture of order and disorder, an intimate
mixture that, in urban systems, can be analyzed in part by making use of the
concept of diversity.
Efficiency is the axis related to urban metabolism, that is, to the flows of
materials, water and energy, which constitute the support of any urban system
to maintain its organization and prevent it from being polluted. The
management of natural resources must achieve maximum efficiency of use with
minimum disturbance to ecosystems. In the field of energy, a minimum level of
renewable energy generation and a certain degree of energy self-sufficiency
must be planned, combining generation and saving and efficiency measures.
Social cohesion is concerned with people and social relations in the urban
system. The social mix (of cultures, ages, incomes, professions) has a stabilizing
effect on the urban system, as it implies a balance between the different actors
in the city. The analysis of diversity shows us who occupies the space and the
probability of exchanges and relationships between the components with
information within the city. On the other hand, the social segregation that
occurs in certain areas of cities creates problems of instability such as insecurity
or marginalization.
According to Monfort, (2020) urban sustainability indicators have been seen
as signals that mark the progress of the achievement of the objectives and
goals set out in the urban planning process, and allow relevant and timely
decisions to be made. Therefore, their role is important, because they become
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magnitudes that can be measured and interpreted in order to identify the
behaviors of society in relation to the surrounding natural system; the research
agrees with the author because it was determined that indicators are effective
tools for communicating complex processes in the social, political and economic
spheres; they are defined as identifiable and measurable characteristics of
cities that evaluate progress or setbacks in the sustainability process, whose
selection constitutes a technical and political choice of important consequences,
because these parameters serve as a guide for setting objectives and these,
in turn, become physical limits defined in measurable terms.
According to Alberti & Bettini, (2018) New urban planning policies play a
particularly relevant role in achieving sustainable local development, given
that urbanism and the act of creating cities is the most powerful source of
global environmental impact. It does not go unnoticed that global urbanization
is an ever-increasing process and that cities consume most of the world's natural
resources, despite the fact that they occupy only 2% of the earth's surface.
However, through research it was determined that the development of urban
areas in recent decades without proper planning has introduced an extreme
separation of functions by neighborhoods, discontinuous urbanization and
extensive occupation of the territory. These changes are creating new and
serious problems of habitability and sustainability, together with the waste of
land and infrastructure and the rising costs of supplying services: electricity,
water, public transport.
Conclusions
The Sustainable Development indicators are tools that constitute a system of
signals that make it possible to evaluate the progress of our countries towards
sustainable development; it is still a field in the process of conceptual,
methodological and instrumental development. In relation to the research,
urban sustainability is based on four axes: compactness, complexity, energy
efficiency, and cohesion; a model in which the systemic approach to the
relationship between city and environment prevails, as well as its components:
territory, environment, population and economy; however, this model proposes
its actions at a smaller scale level such as the neighborhood.
Local development is a process of multiple objectives, which are: efficiency in
the allocation of resources for territorial competition; equity in the distribution
of income and balance of the environment for the conservation of the territorial
productive system. Therefore, participation is considered as a process in which
the community commits itself to the transformation of its own reality and
assumes the tasks that correspond to it.
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