Diseño urbano para la articulación de bienes patrimoniales en el núcleo central de Ambato, Ecuador

Abstract

This research develops the urban design for the articulation of patrimonial buildings in the central core of Ambato, which includes the visual and functional disconnection of tangibles heritage assets. This situation was caused by urban transformations and modernization processes that took place after the 1949 earthquake, as well as administrative decisions that prioritized commercial and modern growth over conservation. As result, fragmentation was generated in the center of the city and also, an imbalance in urban identity. The principal objective was to integrate heritage buildings into the current dynamics of the city through visible routes and a reconfiguration of public space focused on pedestrian experience. Furthermore, the project looks for the prioritization of heritage appropriation and to recover the historic urban landscape. The methodology had a combined approach in which through interviews, perception surveys, mappings supported by sustainability indicators and a bibliographic review, a general diagnosis was established identifying problems of walkability, accessibility, visual pollution, heritage perception, and generally quality of public space. As a result, the proposal reconfigures the condition of public space based on the operation of three articulation axes and one as a support located on the streets of Rocafuerte, Sucre, Montalvo and Mera, which connect the selected heritage buildings, in this case the cultural ones, so that the user could easily guide themselves toward these places. The intervention includes strategies based on mobility, urban legibility and heritage appropriation strategies to strengthen the urban identity of the city by reorganizing public space.