Urban vitality, understood as a key factor for the achievement of cities’ sustainability, shows a strong relationship with urban morphology. The city theorist Jane Jacobs suggested morphological aspects already in the 1960s, which remain valid in the 21st-century reality for conceiving more vital cities. However, few studies in the Andean region quantitatively exemplify this. This paper aims to illustrate urban vitality in a neighborhood of Quito, Ecuador, called La Mariscal, integrating Jacobs’ approach. In particular, three indexes were tested with the application of GIS software. Final maps present considerable dissimilarities. In this regard, both context-based and general previous knowledge is essential in the accurate selection of dimensions, indicators, and representation systems. Regarding dimensions, land use mixture, contact opportunity, and accessibility are the most relevant in the study area. Regarding indicators, the addition of the ground floor informal selling and the quality of sidewalks may help to interpret the neighborhood dynamics. Regarding the representation system, a transformation of the vectorial block system into smaller parts, lots, would precise the measurement of urban vitality. Altogether, by providing a comparative approach, we intend to bring a useful framework for urban researchers and planners to study urban vitality in Andean cities.

Nuria Vidal
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

 
ID Abstract: 411