Análisis del proceso actual de expansión urbana en el eje CELEC UNIANDES: caso de estudio en la parroquia de Totoras, cantón Ambato

Abstract

This research project analyzes the current process of urban expansion along the CELEC-UNIANDES axis in the parish of Totoras, Ambato canton. This historically agricultural area has undergone rapid spatial transformation in recent years, driven by large urban projects (GPU) such as the CELEC EP electrical substation, the UNIANDES university, the E30 state highway, and the INECEL urban development. The research is justified by the need to understand how these projects are reshaping land use, inducing urbanization processes in the surrounding parishes, and highlighting the gaps between official planning and actual territorial dynamics. The methodology used corresponds to a qualitative approach based on the interpretive-constructivist paradigm. Documentary and regulatory analyses, multitemporal cartographic reviews (2014, 2019, and 2025), direct field observations, and semi-structured interviews with key institutional and community actors were conducted. This triangulation allowed for the identification of settlement patterns, changes in land use, and local perceptions of the expansion process. The results show that the CELEC-UNIANDES axis is the most important growth corridor in Totoras, with a progressive loss of agricultural land, the emergence of mixed uses, the formation of an emerging urban center, and a fragmented urbanization pattern