Improvement of Public Space and Mobility in Sauces, Tarqui

Abstract

This study presents a territorial diagnosis of the Sauces 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 sectors located in the Tarqui parish of Guayaquil, Ecuador, with the purpose of identifying the principal urban, environmental, and mobility-related challenges affecting the quality of life and territorial sustainability of the area. The research responds to the growing pressures generated by traffic congestion, inadequate stormwater drainage, occupation of public spaces, reduction of green areas, and expansion of informal commercial activities within a highly consolidated urban environment. The study employed a mixed-methods approach integrating field observation, territorial mapping, documentary review, demographic analysis, and interpretation of municipal planning instruments including the PDOT and PUGS. The territorial analysis was structured through five interconnected subsystems: biophysical-environmental, socioeconomic, human settlements, mobility-connectivity, and political-institutional. The findings reveal that the Sauces sector possesses important territorial strengths, including consolidated infrastructure, strategic urban connectivity, and active neighborhood economic activity. However, significant vulnerabilities persist due to flooding risks, vehicular saturation, insufficient public spaces, weak enforcement of land-use regulations, and conflicts associated with informal occupation of urban space. The study concludes that sustainable territorial planning in Sauces requires integrated urban management strategies focused on mobility improvement, environmental resilience, recovery of public spaces, and stronger institutional coordination. The diagnosis provides technical criteria that may support future urban interventions and sustainable territorial planning processes within the northern sector of Guayaquil.