MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_01D6F8C9.76A247F0" Este documento es una página web de un solo archivo, también conocido como "archivo de almacenamiento web". Si está viendo este mensaje, su explorador o editor no admite archivos de almacenamiento web. Descargue un explorador que admita este tipo de archivos. ------=_NextPart_01D6F8C9.76A247F0 Content-Location: file:///C:/F0F7E201/10Behavoirpatterns_FredyLlulluma.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"
Patrones de
comportamiento peatonal en relación a la calidad del espacio público en el
borde del Centro Histórico de Cuenca-Ecuador
Karina Alexandra Cherrez Rodas. [1], =
Myrian
Alexandra Larco BenÃtez. [2]=
span> &
Fredy
Rafael Llulluna Llumiquinga. [3]=
span>
Recibido: 19-11-2020 / Revisado: 16-12-2020 /Aceptado: 12-01-2021/
Publicado: 05-02-2021
Introduction.
Public space is important in the architecture of cities; however, since the
20th century, it has lost its prominence. Also, it has presented a decrease=
in
the performance of social activities due to the appearance of certain
architectural typologies. In this sense, the study of users of public space
allows us to understand their needs and diagnose future urban interventions.
Cuenca was declared as Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. "El
Barranco" which is the edge of the Historical Center of Cuenca and a m=
ajor
connector with the new planning area, is an elementary setting for social
relations. Objective. Determine the influence of the quality of publ=
ic
space on pedestrians’ behavior patterns. Methodology. The research=
was
quantitative, descriptive in nature, carrying out each study point of
observations of pedestrian dynamics for two weeks and using a data collecti=
on
form, surveys were applied to 240 users who frequent the stairways and 3337
forms were obtained. Results. Through the study of five strategic po=
ints
of "El Barranco", it was determined that the quality of its public
space is not good enough and this has provoked that the use of its stairway=
s is
mostly devoted for everyday activities rather than social ones. There is ve=
ry
little motivation to develop social activities. It was also found that the =
age
group, nationality, and ethnicity influence on the behavior patterns of
pedestrians. Of all the pedestr=
ians
who pass through the study points, it was determined that only 20% carry out
social activities, 24% optional activities and 56% only use them as connect=
ion
points to their daily activities.
Keywords:
Behavior patte=
rns;
pedestrian zones; connection points; public space.
Resumen.
Introducción. El espacio público es importante en la arquitectura de las ciudades=
; sin
embargo, desde el siglo XX ha perdido su protagonismo. Además, se ha dado =
un
descenso en la realización de actividades sociales debido a la aparición =
de
ciertas tipologÃas arquitectónicas. En este sentido, el estudio de los us=
uarios
en el espacio público permite comprender sus necesidades y diagnosticar fu=
turas
intervenciones urbanas. Cuenca fue declarada Patrimonio Cultural de la
Humanidad por la UNESCO. “El Barranco†es el borde del Centro Históric=
o de
Cuenca y es un importante conector con la zona de nueva planificación lo q=
ue lo
convierte en un escenario elemental de relaciones sociales. Objetivo. Determinar la influencia de la calidad del espacio público en los
patrones de comportamiento de sus peatones. MetodologÃa. La investigación fue de carácter cuantitativa, de tipo descriptiva
realizando cada punto de estudio observaciones de la dinámica peatonal dur=
ante
dos semanas y mediante una ficha de recolección de datos se aplicaron encu=
estas
a 240 usuarios que frecuentan las escalinatas y se obtuvieron 3337 formular=
ios.
Resultados. A través del estudio de cinco puntos estratégicos de “El Ba=
rrancoâ€
se determinó que la calidad de su espacio público no es buena y esto ha
incidido a que sus escalinatas se usen mayormente para actividades necesari=
as,
y que exista muy poca motivación para desarrollar actividades sociales. Ta=
mbién
se encontró que el grupo etario, la nacionalidad y el grupo étnico influy=
en en
los patrones de comportamiento de los peatones. De todos los peatones que
transitan por los puntos de estudio se determinó que solo el 20% realiza
actividades sociales, 24% actividades opcionales y el 56% solo los utiliza =
como
puntos de conexión a sus actividades cotidianas.
Palabras claves:=
span>
Patrones de comportamiento; zonas peatonales; puntos de conexión; espacio
público.
Introduction.
Throughout history, the importance of public space=
in
the architecture of cities has been evidenced (Gamboa 2002),(Gehl 2014). Du=
ring
the 19th century, the pedestrian played an important role in the design of
public spaces. However, in the twentieth century, the automobile emerged as=
one
of the important issues in people's daily lives (Panagopoulos et al. 2018),=
and
caused the city turned into an automated area, a kind of zoned production
machine which made it lose the essence of its urban spaces (Gamboa 2002). I=
n this
regard (Gamboa 2002) stated "Gradually it is recognized that the old
cities have" something" that new neighborhoods and new parts of
cities lack of (...), which makes them more livable, pleasant, recognizable=
and
understandable"(p. 17). Based on the ideas previously exposed, it can =
be
recognized the change of a system where the collective prevails over an
individualistic system; a system where its main function is movement, becau=
se
it is not exploring, but it is crossing.
A transcendental factor within the public space is=
the
social dimension. In fact, in the definition of urban space made by Delgado
(Delgado 2004) sociability in buildings and plazas was valorized, and
heterogeneity of actions and actors were recognized: “The urban, like the=
city minus
its architecture, everything that does not stop or solidify in it. A melted
universe (p. 4-5). Also, Gehl (Gehl 2004) in his book "Humanization of
Urban Space" classified activities as necessary, optional, and social
ones, this allows to make a direct relationship between spatial quality of
external areas with the number of social activities that take place in publ=
ic
spaces. In this sense, it can be observed that, in recent decades, there has
been a decline in social relationships due to the emergence at a great scal=
e of
architectural typologies that generate social segregation and, therefore, t=
he
re-placement of certain social encounters.
Additionally, it is important to point out that
today's cities have other requirements than cities in the past (Panagopoulo=
s et
al. 2018), the challenge is to conceive urban spaces that prioritize social
relations in public space and that contribute to the generation of sustaina=
ble
cities with less vehicular traffic (Soni and Soni 2016). Loss of quality of
public space affects cities in different contexts, this has caused a
reformulation of public spaces based on the logic of prioritizing pedestria=
ns,
and has forced to seek comprehensive planning, especially in highly
consolidated areas. Then, a review of previous studies that include diagnos=
es
in intervention areas is very important for its possible application in pla=
ces
that need to improve their public space.
For instance, there is research that allows us to
understand the behavior of pedestrians in study areas. One of these is carr=
ied
out in Kalamaria, Greece, where it was identified that the use of its public
space provides security and comfort to its residents. It was also identified
that these results are used by the authorities for their management (Panago=
poulos
et al. 2018). In Ecuador, a reference study is the one carried out (Hermida=
et
al. 2019) where a toolbox was built to evaluate the connectivity and comfor=
t of
urban banks that allows a comparative visual and numerical analysis in
different areas of the same river. In this line, on the research about
Indicators of Spatial Chaos in the Context of the Need for Retrofitting Sub=
urbs
the authors claim that the retrofitting of suburbs can be accomplished by
impacting two dimensions of spatial chaos: limited pedestrian mobility arou=
nd
the place of residence (walkability) and low access to basic services (Mant=
ey
and Pokojski 2020). Previous studies on users of public spaces allow us to
understand their needs and diagnose urban spaces before the intervention.
Cuenca is a city in the Andean region of Ecuador a=
nd
since 1999 it was declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). "El
Barranco" is the edge of the historic center of Cuenca, it is located =
on
the banks of the Tomebamba River and is a space with unprecedented
characteristics due to its landscape, its use, and its meaning for the memo=
ry
of the people of Cuenca. Also, "El Barranco" acts as a connector
between the historic center and the area of new urban planning that has a
significant topographic gap.
Under the above, the present investigation aims to
determine the influence of the quality of public space in the patterns of
behavior of pedestrians through the study of five strategic points of
pedestrian connection between the edge of the historic center and the area =
of
replanning urban Cuenca. Therefore, the questions to be answered are: how d=
oes
the quality of public space influence the behavior of pedestrians on the ed=
ge
of the historic center of Cuenca? Is the spatial quality of the historic ce=
nter
of Cuenca low? Is there a motivat=
ion for
pedestrians to carry out social activities on the stairways of “El
Barranco� Do the age group,
nationality, and ethnicity influence the use of public space? Is the kind of activity related to the=
use of
the public space of “El Barranco�
=
=
Metodologia.
Since this research is descriptive in nature, a
three-stage methodology is proposed to determine the influence of the quali=
ty
of public space on the behavior patterns of the inhabitants of the historic
center of Cuenca. The stages are as follows:
1.&n=
bsp;  =
;
Study area;
2.&n=
bsp;  =
;
Data collection to determine the
social behavior of the inhabitants of the Historic Center of Cuenca and the=
ir
perception of the public space;
3.&n=
bsp;  =
;
Analysis and results.
=
=
Study
area
As mentioned above, “El
Barranco†is located in Cuenca, Ecuador. Cuenca is located in the souther=
n part
of the Andean mountain range and sits in a valley. Its climate is spring-li=
ke
all year round and it has a landscape that blends with the built-up scale of
the city. According to the Population and Housing Census carried out by the
National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), in 2010 the population
density of Cuenca was 4,701.63 inhabitants / km2. In 1999, its historic cen=
ter
was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and most of the institutional
buildings, hotels, restaurants, commercial premises, squares, and churches =
are
located there. Also, it groups a large part of the work, cultural, commerci=
al,
and service activities. Its urban morphology presents narrow colonial stree=
ts,
and its topography is rugged, especially towards the southern end where the
Tomebamba river is located (Terraza, Beltrán, and Orbea 2014).
Figure 1. Study area of “El Barrancoâ€, Cuenca, Ecuador.
Source:
Authors
elaboration
The edge of the historic
center of Cuenca is known as “El Barranco†which is perceived as a natu=
ral
boundary between the historic center (Spanish foundation) and the new plann=
ing
area of “El Ejidoâ€. It is bui=
lt near the
Tomebamba river to a height of 20 meters below the upper deck. Its buildings
have two facades of the same hierarchy; On one side, the buildings start in=
the
central street, and on the opposite side, they hang down towards the river =
and
are balconied towards the edges of the historic center, which makes them en=
joy
privileged landscapes. From the “El Vado†bridge to the “Puente Rotoâ=
€ sector
there are exterior connectors (connecting stairway) to the two terraces. The
study area figure 1. Therefore, the edge of the historic center called “El
Barranco†was defined as the study area. Five strategic points were selec=
ted
because they constitute a space with unique characteristics for the city and
its inhabitants. Its location is relevant since it is the transition from t=
he
terrace of the historic center, which descends towards the shore of the
Tomebamba River, to the area of new urban planning. Furthermore, the
archi-tectural complex that makes it up, thanks to its topography, allows p=
edestrians
to have a privileged view. Most of the surrounding streets and places of
citizen connections are almost mandatory for transit. Finally in general te=
rms,
"El Barranco" is a potential setting for social relations. The five strategic points selected (fi=
gure
2):
1. SP 1 - Stairway "El Vado"
2. SP 2 - Stairway "El Centenario"
3. SP 3 - Stairway "Juana de Oro"
4. SP 4 - Stairway “Francisco Sojo Jaramilloâ€
5. SP 5 - Stairway “Puente Rotoâ€
Figure 2. Strategic=
study
points in "El Barranco".=
Source:
Authors
elaboration
The characteristics that
describe the peripheral area of the historic center are quite forceful thus
some activities in the outer space, in each strategic point of the sector, =
can
be developed actively. The stairs allow the connection of necessary activit=
ies
between the heritage terrace and the contemporary one. It is important to
determine which strategic points selected favor social encounters. For this
reason, the diagnosis of the current situation of each connection point is
carried out through field observation and data collection using specialized
software. The selection of strategic points for behavior analyzes patterns =
is
shown below.
SP 1 - Stairway "El
Vado
This stairway was built
approximately 35 years ago and allows Tarqui Condamine Street to connect wi=
th
Paseo Tres de Noviembre (pedestrian path). There are 93 steps; and at the e=
nd,
there is a pedestrian bridge that allows communication with the main entran=
ce
of the University of Cuenca. Its area of influence is in the "El
Vado" neighborhood, which is one of the most emblematic and traditional
ones in the city. In the area of =
the
market 10 de Agosto, there are several buildings of heritage value such as =
the
Arcos house. There are also traditional businesses such as barbershops, toq=
uilla
straw hats shops, bronze and tin handcrafted products. Also, the “El Vado=
â€
bridge was the entrance to the city in colonial times and connects the upper
area of the city with Loja Avenue, where the emblematic San Roque neighborh=
ood
is located. In Figure 3, the area of influence, a photograph, and the setti=
ng
of this strategic point.
Figure 3. Area of
influence, photography, and surroundings of the stairway ``El Vadoâ€
Source:
Authors
elaboration
SP 2 - Stairway "El
Centenario"
It has been named after =
the
celebration of the 100 years of the independence of Cuenca since its
construction just finished during those days. This stairway consists of 47
steps and allows the connection of the two terraces of the city. This strat=
egic
point, which is located at Benigno Malo street, is particular because it
reaches Central Park that is just 300 meters away. By crossing its bridge, =
the
Solano Avenue is found where important commercial, banking, student
institutions are located as well as multi-family homes in height; and the
stadium. Finally, this strategic point has an impressive view of the southe=
rn
part of the city. In figure
4, the area of influence=
, a
photograph, and the surroundings of this strategic point.
Figure 4. Area of i=
nfluence,
photography, and surroundings of the stairway “El Centenario"
Source:
Authors
elaboration
SP 3 - Stairway "Ju=
ana
de Oro"
It started as a private
service path of one of the adjoining houses and later it was donated to the
municipality, which built the stairs eventually. The “Juana de Oro†sta=
irway
recovered much of its condition for pedestrians 12 years ago when the hotel
that adjoins it finished building on the area, the building occupied half of
its area. The current version of this stairway is made up of 77 steps. At t=
he
top, there is a tree and the access to the hotel and service areas of
surrounding homes. It is also important to mention that, in recent years, i=
ts
walls were intervened with murals. Figure 5 the area of influence, a photog=
raph,
and the surroundings of this strategic point.
Fi=
gure 5. Area of
influence, photography, and surroundings of the stairway “Juana de Oro&qu=
ot;
Source:
Authors
elaboration
SP 4 - Stairway “Franc=
isco
Sojo Jaramilloâ€
It connects the historic
center with the Parque de la Madre, which is the largest green area near the
city center. It adjoins with buildings of heritage value both municipal and
private; on its breaks, there are accesses to these properties. Previously,=
it
was made up of lateral green areas and central circulation. Its area of
influence is formed by the Remigio Crespo Museum, the Military Hospital, and
the Museum of the Faculty of Medi-cine, the Mother Park, and the Inter-Amer=
ican
Museum of Popular Arts. Figure 6, the area of influence, a photograph, and =
the
surroundings of this strategic point.
Figure 6. Area of
influence, photography, and surroundings of the stairway “Francisco S.
Jaramillo"
Source:
Authors
elaboration
SP 5 - Stairway “Puente
Rotoâ€
In 1950, the "Puent=
e of
Todos Santos" lost much of its structure after the flood caused by
Tomebamba River. However, in recent decades, "El Puente Roto", wh=
ich
is the structure of what was the "Puente de Todos Santos", has be=
come
a landmark of the city. It is made up of a truncated bridge and has steps t=
hat
allow you to communicate with a small square towards the Tres de Noviembre
ride. The Church and the ruins of Todos Santos is within its area of influe=
nce.
Towards the river, you have access to a municipal educational unit that is =
part
of the grounds of the church and the other nearby properties are mostly hom=
es.
Figure 7 the area of influence, a photograph, and the surroundings of this
strategic point.
Figure 7. Area of
influence, photography, and surroundings of the stairway “Puente Roto&quo=
t;
Source:
Authors
elaboration
Data
collection to determine the social behavior of the inhabitants of the histo=
ric
center of Cuenca and their perception of public space
Social cohesion in the c=
ity
A distinguishing feature=
of
Cuenca is its people, its culture, and its customs. The Chola Cuencana is t=
he
predominant ethnic group in this city. The woman of this ethnic group is
mestizo (Indian-Spanish) and is characterized by her colorful and elaborate=
traditional
clothing. Her outfit is made up of a white blouse, a pocket, the skirt, the
cloth, and, finally, a toquilla straw hat. The man is characterized by carr=
ying
a hat, cashmere pants, shirt, and a wool sweater. Figure 8 the traditional
clothing of the Chola Cuencana for women and children.
|
|
(a= b>) |
(b= b>) |
Figure 8. Tradition=
al
clothing of the Chola Cuencana (a) Women; (b) Children.
Source:
Authors
elaboration
The Chola Cuencana bases=
its
economy on productive and commercial activities. It is part of the intangib=
le
heritage of Cuenca and is part of the local culture. In everyday life, the
Chola Cuencana plays an important role in the dynamics of the exterior spac=
es
of the historic center; it makes visible the history and miscegenation; and
seeing them walk through the cobbled streets gives a unique and characteris=
tic
touch to the city, which makes it stand out from other cities in Ecuador. T=
he
squares and parks of the historic center exhibit social encounters between =
the
different ethnic groups in the city. In Calderón Park, there are optional =
and
necessary activities that trigger social encounters of different intensity.=
The Plaza de las Flores =
is
an important benchmark for local social cohesion since its dynamics revolves
around commerce, generates interaction between the Chola Cuencana, students,
housewives, and tourists who come to the square. Furthermore, next to this
square is the Carmen de la Asunción Church. Rotary Plaza presents a tradit=
ional
character attractive to citizens and tourists, the Chola Cuencana is the
protagonist because, every day, exhibits and sells products like woven bask=
ets,
reed mats, baskets, among others; wood handmade products such as chairs,
cutting boards, drawers, spoons; pots, vases and more pottery articles. Figure 9, an example of social gatheri=
ngs
seen in the Plaza de las Flores and the Plaza Rotary.
|
|
                 (a) |
 (b) |
Figure 9. a) Social
activity in the Plaza de las Flores; b) social activity at Plaza Rotary.
Source:
Authors
elaboration
The festivities are a ve=
ry
important cultural and social space due to traditions rooted in local cultu=
re
and tradition; therefore, they constitute part of the intangible heritage of
the city. In the festivities, the events of social cohesion are much more
evident. Some of the events taking place throughout the year and set in the
historic center are:
• &nbs=
p;
The innocents parade
(January 6);
• &nbs=
p;
Thursday for Godfathers =
and
Godmothers (Carnival Thursday);
• &nbs=
p;
Corpus Christi (July,
religious holiday);
• &nbs=
p;
The Traveler Little Lord
Jesus Pageant (December 24, religious holiday).
These events generate a
large influx of people and bring a true celebration to the streets, full of
color, tradition, and culture. The local festivities gather all the citizen=
s,
both mestizos with traditional clothing or not, people from all social clas=
ses
(children, elders, senior citizens, young people, tourists) on the squares =
and
on streets of the historic center and its surroundings.
Data
collection
To know the social behav=
ior
of the pedestrian people from Cuenca in the five strategic points defined f=
or
this research, the interview, and direct observation are established as pri=
mary
sources of information.
Direct
observation
According to the (Golicn=
ik
and Ward Thompson 2010) methodology, direct observation was divided into fo=
ur
schedules at each of the five strategic points. The schedules were:
•
08:00: Start activities =
of
labor, student, commercial and banking, etc;
•
14:00: Lunchtime;
•
18:00: Completion of work
activities, student, commercial and banking, etc;
•
21:00: Nighttime leisure
activities.
Data collection, includi=
ng
weekends, took place in two weeks for six days, and the observation time at
each strategic point was ten minutes per time slot. Observations studied ma=
inly
age, sex, nationality, type of activity people were doing, and location of
people on the stairway. This last one was studied to associate with additio=
nal
situations such as pedestrian preferences regarding sites of mobility
(edge/center) and the direction of the routes (up / down). During the time =
of
the observation, 3,337 pedestrians were identified, and out of this number,
only 607 carried out a social activity.
Interview
In order to know the main
motivations for walking along the stairway, two inter-views were conducted =
at
each strategic point for each schedule during the six days. In total, 240
interviews were conducted. The questions that were asked to the users of
stairways were as follows:
•
What is the main reason =
for
using the stairway?
•
What are the reasons to
avoid using the stairway?
•
What activity or services
would motivate you to stay on the stairway?
Results
Once the data collected =
from
direct observation and interviews was processed, the following results were
found.
Motivation and demotivat=
ion
for touring along the stairway
The main reasons for tou=
ring
along the stairway are associated with the use of nearby equipment or
activities and/or services offered. For example, on the “Juana de Oroâ€
stairway, users visit the murals; or on the stairway "Puente Roto"
they prefer tourist photographs. The causes for demotivation are related to=
the
insecurity and in-convenience associated with the high vehicular traffic in=
the
area. Finally, users ex-pressed the need to generate actions aimed at the
security and surveillance of the stairs, as well as the implementation of
activities related to the gastronomic, artisanal, or recreational trade. Fi=
gure
10, motivation and demotivation for touring along the stairsways. There are
also the main activities carried out at each strategic point.
Figure 10. Â Motivation and demotivation to transit =
on the
stairways.
Source:
Authors
elaboration
Socio-spatial cohesion
Regarding socio-spatial
cohesion in “El Barrancoâ€, the results indicate that there is segregati=
on by
age. In figure 10 (a), the age group that makes the most use of public spac=
e is
adults (64%), followed by older adults (26%) and, finally, children (10%); =
this
occurs in each of the study points. An important aspect to consider is that=
at
strategic point SP 4, older adults are the ones who make the most use of pu=
blic
spaces, even though the spatial design of this stairway is not appropriate =
for
this age group. If a nationality analysis is made, the results show that 80=
% of
the users are Ecuadorian and 20% are foreigners. It is important to note th=
at
the La Chola Cuencana ethnic group constitutes 19% of the national users, t=
his
percentage is representative in the strategic points SP 1 and SP 2 where th=
ere
is proximity to the market (figure 10 (b)).
|
|
                 (a) |
 (b) |
Figure 11.  Spatial cohesion in “El Barranco†(=
a) Spatial
cohesion by age group, (b) Spatial cohesion           by
nationality.
Source:
Authors
elaboration
Activities and pedestrian
dynamics
Regarding the type of
activities that take place in "El Barranco" and according to the
classification of (Soni and Soni 2016), it was obtained that 56% of the
activities are necessary, 24% are optional and 20% are social. The figure
11shows that the most popular strategic point is SP 4, this occurs due to t=
he
presence of hospitals, museums, the Faculty of Medicine of Cuenca’s Unive=
rsity,
and the “Parque de la Madreâ€, and it indicates that is a very important
connecting point with the Historic Center of Cuenca.
Figure 12. Â Type of activities that take place in &=
quot;El
Barranco".
Source:
Authors
elaboration
To know the dynamics of
pedestrian users of "El Barranco", it was analyzed the influx of
people in each of the strategic points according to the days of the week and
times. Figure 12.
Figure 13. Â Pedestrian dynamics in "El Barranc=
o"
Source:
Authors
elaboration
SP 1: The major influx of
people was from Monday to Friday. Sunday was the one with the least attenda=
nce
due to the little university traffic. Also, users said that is a desolate p=
lace.
Therefore, an urban intervention should be made in order to attract some
pedestrian flow.
SP 2: Pedestrian flows on
weekends were slightly lower than on weekdays. On Saturday afternoons, the
influx of people increased due to the presence of young people in the park =
who
carry out sports and recreation activities.
SP 3: It was the connect=
ion
point with the least influx. However, from Monday to Friday, at noon, there=
was
a greater movement of people. In the morning and at night on Sunday, the
activities were significantly reduced, an intervention should be done on th=
is
area so users can change their perception and, therefore, a better use of t=
his
stairway can be done.
SP 4: "El
Barranco" was the connection point with more activities, which makes a
point of great influx of people. Activities increased considerably on Satur=
day
nights, which goes hand in hand with the nightlife of the sector. On the ot=
her
hand, sports activities were observed on Sundays.
SP 5: From Monday to Fri=
day
it presented a reduced number of activities, but in the afternoon and eveni=
ng
on Saturdays the social activities increased widely and with it, there was =
an
important pedestrian dynamic. This is associated with the importance of the
"Broken Bridge" as a landmark of Cuenca.
Directionality, preferen=
ce
of the place of mobility and type of displacement
In this Table 1, the
directionality (if the pedestrian goes up or down the staircase), the
preference of the places of pedestrian mobility on the staircase (traffic a=
long
the edge or through the center), and the type of pedestrian movement (alone=
or
in a group).
Table
1. Directionality, preference of the place of mobility and type of
movement at strategic points.
Strategy point |
Up |
Down |
Border |
Center |
Alone |
Group |
SP1 |
15 |
4 |
13 |
6 |
8 |
11 |
SP2 |
46 |
44 |
70 |
20 |
53 |
37 |
SP3 |
8 |
9 |
7 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
SP4 |
37 |
55 |
52 |
40 |
54 |
37 |
SP5 |
5 |
3 |
6 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
Total |
111 |
115 |
148 |
78 |
129 |
96 |
Percent (%) |
49.1 |
50.9 |
65.5 |
34.5 |
57.3 |
42.7 |
As for directionality, i=
t is
concluded that most of the pedestrians walked down the stairway, this means
that there were more people heading towards the area of new urban planning.
Regarding the pedestrian’s preference of places of mobility on the stairw=
ay,
going around the edges was their answer. Finally, pedestrians preferred to
travel alone rather than accompanied.
Pedestrian
behavior patterns in social activities
Although few social
activities take place in the strategic point SP 1, Figure 13 shows that mos=
t of
the activities were conducted in the upper break which takes to the Condami=
ne
Street. The main social activities that were identified were appreciation of
the environment and conversations. The edge towards "El Barranco"=
was
the favorite one. It was also determined that the performance of social
activities was associated with the adaptations of the staircase that allowed
the improvement of its environment. Additionally, it was concluded that mos=
t of
the social activities were carried out during the week; and that social
activities at night are almost null, especially on weekends. The analysis of
the behavior patterns at strategic point SP 2 indicated that social activit=
ies
were mostly carried out on the edges and that the edge that was chosen most
frequently is the one that faces the river; space stay 1 was not used for
social activities then, the same as the green area, did not allow the
performance of these activities. =
In
addition, it was analyzed that the social activities that were carried out =
were
spontaneous and arose at the time of walking down the stairs. It was also
identified that during the weekend some activities were conducted in the st=
ay 2
area due to young people meet there for skating. At noon, more stays of a
social nature were detected, which is not the case at strategic point SP 1,
where the largest number of social stays were made at night.
At strategic point SP3,
social activities were held mostly from noon to afternoon. The social
activities took place on the edge and were related to the presence of mural=
s on
the walls of the Hotel Crespo. The presence of trees caused activation of t=
his
space, which has generated some social activities such as conversations, fa=
mily
photographs, observation of the landscape, etc. At night, most of the
activities took place at the top, towards Larga street. The appearance of f=
ast-food
sales and the absence of people on the stairways have caused pedestrians'
perception of insecurity. Finally, the presence of access to the edges did =
not
generate social activities.
On the stairway of strat=
egic
point SP 4, social activities were performed uniformly throughout the day,
during the week. On Sundays, a lower percentage of activities were observed,
mainly at night. Regarding the preference of the places of pedestrian mobil=
ity
on the stairway, it was identified that the edges were chosen. Towards Larga
street, there are vendors. Also, in the morning herbal teas are sold as wel=
l as
local snacks or fruit; at night, shish kebab is offered as well as typical
foods; the above makes this place an attraction for conducting social
activities.
In general, the social
activities carried out at point SP 5 were scarce. However, most of them were
social ones and they are connected to the historical importance of the “P=
uente
Roto†(Broken Bridge). This has become one of the favorite places of tour=
ists.
Stays at this stairway are used for talking, taking pictures, looking at the
environment of the bridge, etc. The lower plaza does not generate social
activities, but since there is a place for nightlife, the place is used as
vehicle parking. In this sense, this analysis coincides with the interviews
when describing this place as desolated.Â
Figure 13 pedestrian behavior patterns are shown in social activitie=
s in
five strategic points "El Barranco".
Figure 14. Â Pedestrian behavior patterns are shown =
in
social activities in five strategic points "El Barrancoâ€.
Source:
Authors
elaboration
Conclusion
and Discussion
·
The principal finding of
this research is the influence of the age group on the use of public space.=
For
example, there was little presence of children in all strategic points. This
goes hand in hand with what is suggested by (Karsten 2006) regarding that, =
the
children have always constituted a significant part of the urban population=
and
still do so today and therefore, it is important to reclaim the street as an
area for urban livability for children. Therefore, the use of public space =
in
most of the age groups constitutes a challenge for urban planners and
designers.
·
Another important finding
has to do with the motivations of pedestrians to walk along the stairways, =
it
became clear that, despite their inadequate spatial design, pedestrians nee=
ded
to use them to access nearby equipment and/or necessary services. For example, a strategic point 4, the =
senior
citizen are the ones who mainly used the stairway to reach hospitals or par=
ks.
Regarding nationality, it was evidenced that this is related to the use of
public space, since, on certain stairways, there was a significant number of
foreign tourists. As for ethnicity, it is a fact that the "Chola
Cuencana" is and will be an important element in the use of public spa=
ce;
first, because it is part of the intrinsic heritage wealth of the city and
second because they generate necessary and optional activities that give ri=
se
to social encounters. However, at this point, efficient management of touri=
st
activity is necessary since as mentioned (Haider 2007), poor management
deteriorates the urban form on several scales, which could generate visual
pollution, and that there are only globalization landscapes in a banal
dimension.
·
Considering the type of
activity developed at strategic points, it was determined that most of the
activities were necessary, this can be understood by the strategic location=
of
the study area and the existence of important equipment on the terraces of =
the
historic center and the new planning area. This test the hypothesis of Gehl
concerning these activities that end up happening regardless of the physical
aspect of the environment in which they develop, and their paths cannot be
avoided (Gehl 2004).
·
Another factor that conf=
irms
this hypothesis was the number of users who went up and down the stairways,=
as
it was found that most users go down the stairs to go to the new planning a=
rea.
However, if it is considered that the necessary activities play an important
role in the daily lives of users of the city should ensure accessibility to
public spaces, on this (Haider 2007) stated that the design is inclusive and
intergenerational because “Fosters a sense of community participation of =
all
stakeholdersâ€. And the urban area of Cuenca has low levels of accessibili=
ty for
people with reduced mobility (Bustos-Piedra, M. Elisa; MarÃn-Palacios,
Orellana, and Cabrera 2017).
·
In the same line, it was
found that only 24% of the activities were optional, this is directly relat=
ed
to the low quality of spatial design at strategic points. It was also
established that, in general, activities of this type were carried out on t=
he
edges, and that people remained standing or leaned against some improvised
element of the environment. These differences between necessary and optional
activities could be explained by the statement (Carmona 2019) that says “=
public
spaces take on different flavors as a result of the different groups of
interests that create them and the particular range of uses they
accommodateâ€. Consequently, it =
is
confirmed that the design of the public space of Cuenca is poor and a lot of
work must be done to improve it and favor various users so they can develop=
a
variety of activities, including social activities. In this re-search, soci=
al
activities just reached 20% of all activities performed.
·
Finally, it is important=
to
understand the potential of "El Barranco" where the Tomebamba Riv=
er
is a vital element and that gives meaning to the five strategic points. In =
this
sense, this study constitutes an opportunity to analyze the contemporary
collective space system in contrast to the historic city. Also, the results
presented provide guidelines for future interventions for public spaces
designed for citizens.
References
Bustos-Piedra, M. Eli=
sa;
MarÃn-Palacios, Mateo, Daniel Orellana, and Natasha Cabrera. 2017.
“Accesibilidad En El Espacio Público Para Personas Con Movilidad Reducid=
a,
Cuenca Como Caso de Estudio.†In MEMORIAS V CONGRESO REDU, ed. Mau=
ricio
Espinoza. Cuenca.
Carmona, Matthew. 2019. “Principles for Public Sp=
ace
Design, Planning to Do Better.†URBAN
DESIGN International 24(1): 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41289-018-007=
0-3.
Delgado, Manuel. 2004.
“De La Ciudad Concebida a La Ciudad Practicada.†Archipiélago: Cuad=
ernos de
crÃtica de la cultura. (0214–2686): 7–12. https://www.academia.edu=
/33482488/De_la_ciudad_concebida_a_la_ciudad_practicada?auto=3Ddownload
(July 8, 2018).
Gamboa, Pablo. 2002. =
“El
Sentido Urbano Del Espacio Público.†Revista Bitácora Urbano Territorial
(0124–7913): 13–18. https://bit.ly/2J5mhHg.
Gehl, Jan. 2004. LA
HUMANIZACIÓN DEL ESPACIO URBANO: La Vida Social Entre Los Edificios. 5th ed. Copenhague: EDITORIAL =
REVERTE,
S.A.
https://kupdf.com/queue/gehl-jan-2006-la-humanizacion-del-espacio-urbano_58=
e54dc6dc0d60f027da9828_pdf?queue_id=3D-1
(November 13, 2017).
Gehl, Jan 2014. Ciuda=
des
Para La Gente. 1a ed. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: Ediciones Infinito.
http://cisav.mx/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/M4T3.-Gehl-Jan-Ciudades-para-la-=
gente-cap.-1.pdf
(November 13, 2017).
Golicnik, Barbara, and Ward Ward
Thompson. 2010. “Emerging Relationships between Design and Use of Urban P=
ark
Spaces.†Landscape and Urban Planning 94(0169–2046): 38–53. https://w=
ww.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/5057afa9e4b01ad7e0289aad
(December 13, 2017).
Haider,
Jawaid. 2007. “Inclusive Design: Planning Public Urban Spaces for Childre=
n.†Municipal Engineer 160(2): 83–88.
Hermida, M. Augusta,
Natasha Cabrera-Jara, P. Osorio, and Stephanie Cabrera. 2019. “Methodology for the Asse=
ssment
of Connectivity and Comfort of Urban Rivers.†Cities 95: 102376.
Karsten,
Lia. 2006. “Children in the City: Reclaiming the Street 1.†Children, Y=
outh and
Environments 16(1): 151–67.
Mantey,
Dorota, and Wojciech Pokojski. 2020. “New Indicators of Spatial Chaos in =
the
Context of the Need for Retrofitting Suburbs.†Land 9(8): 1–20.
Panagopoulos,
Thomas et al. 2018. “The Usage and Perception of Pedestrian and Cycling S=
treets
on Residents’well-Being in Kalamaria, Greece.†Land 7(3).
Soni,
Nikhil, and Neetishree Soni. 2016. “Benefits of Pedestrianization and War=
rants
to Pedestrianize an Area.†Land=
Use
Policy 57(5): 139–50.
Terraza, Horacio, Mar=
Ãa
Isabel Beltrán, and Verónica Orbea. 2014. Cuenca, Ciudad Sostenible. Quit=
o,
Ecuador. http://propone.net/cccv.ec/docs/cuenca-cuidad-sostenible.pdf (Janu=
ary
18, 2018).
PARA CITAR EL ARTÃCULO INDEXADO.
<=
span
lang=3DES style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New=
Roman",serif'>Cherrez
Rodas, K. A., Larco BenÃtez, M. A., & Llulluna Llumiquinga, F. R. (2021). Pedestrian behavior patterns in relation to the
quality of public space on the edge of the Historic Center of Cuenca-Ecuado=
r. ConcienciaDigital,
4(1.1), 176-197. https://doi=
.org/10.33262/concienciadigital.v4i1.1.1553
El
artÃculo que se publica es de exclusiva responsabilidad de los autores y no
necesariamente reflejan el pensamiento de la Revista Conciencia Digital.
El artÃculo queda en
propiedad de la revista y, por tanto, su publicación parcial y/o total en =
otro
medio tiene que ser autorizado por el director de la Revista Conciencia Digital.
[1] Universidad
Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Facultad de Ciencias Socioambientales, Tena, Ecu=
ador.
<=
span
style=3D'mso-bookmark:_Hlk62833486'>karina.cherrez@ikiam.edu.ec, https://orcid.org=
/0000-0001-6330-3955
[2]=
span> Universidad
Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Facultad de Ciencias Socioambientales, Tena, Ecu=
ador.
myrian.larco@ikiam.edu.ec,=
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1846-8440
3 Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Facultad de
Ciencias Socioambientales, Tena, Ecuador.
fredy.llulluna@ikiam.edu.e=
c, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5981-2394