The materialization of the Buen Vivir and the Rights of Nature: Rhetoric and Realities of Guayaquil Ecológico urban regeneration project
Abstract In 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to declare nature as a subject of rights based on the ‘Buen Vivir’ (Good Living) philosophy which is premised on an indigenous principle that envisions a world where humans are part-and-parcel of a larger natural and social environment....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2022-01-01
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| Series: | City, Territory and Architecture |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-021-00147-w |
| _version_ | 1819007174647480320 |
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| author | María Fernanda Ordóñez Kelly Shannon Viviana d’Auria |
| author_facet | María Fernanda Ordóñez Kelly Shannon Viviana d’Auria |
| author_sort | María Fernanda Ordóñez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to declare nature as a subject of rights based on the ‘Buen Vivir’ (Good Living) philosophy which is premised on an indigenous principle that envisions a world where humans are part-and-parcel of a larger natural and social environment. Although Ecuador’s constitution is groundbreaking from a legal standpoint, the question arises of how the rights of nature is spatially manifested beyond the designation of protected areas? To shed light on such interrogation, this article, based on qualitative research, focuses on the linear park component of the mega-project Guayaquil Ecológico heralded as a first materialization which champions the “Rights of Nature” under the vision of the Buen Vivir. It unravels the contested rhetoric and realities of the Guayaquil Ecológico linear park in a critical review of the as-built project in relation to the larger objectives of Buen Vivir. The Guayaquil Ecologico linear park promised to simultaneously upgrade both social and environmental dimensions. However, it did not fully address the complexity of Guayaquil’s socio-ecological context and some of the structural injustices of the estuarine territory. Buen Vivir was rhetorically mobilised to implement a project where aesthetic dimensions dominated, further perpetuating socio-ecological vulnerabilities through relocation and evictions. Furthermore, its implementation was dependent on a specific political moment, leaving it in a state of abandonment and neglect. The Buen Vivir philosophy—as a decolonial stance that challenges western forms of development—can offer a fundamental base to question current modes of territorial occupation based on extractivist planning and design strategies. It holds significant potential to serve as base to re-think the relationship between forms of settlement, natural dynamics, and worldviews. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T00:20:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d1ffe70a1e12433db440580894738ce9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2195-2701 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T00:20:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | City, Territory and Architecture |
| spelling | doaj.art-d1ffe70a1e12433db440580894738ce92022-12-21T19:22:06ZengSpringerOpenCity, Territory and Architecture2195-27012022-01-019111710.1186/s40410-021-00147-wThe materialization of the Buen Vivir and the Rights of Nature: Rhetoric and Realities of Guayaquil Ecológico urban regeneration projectMaría Fernanda Ordóñez0Kelly Shannon1Viviana d’Auria2Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering Science, KU LeuvenDepartment of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering Science, KU LeuvenDepartment of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering Science, KU LeuvenAbstract In 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to declare nature as a subject of rights based on the ‘Buen Vivir’ (Good Living) philosophy which is premised on an indigenous principle that envisions a world where humans are part-and-parcel of a larger natural and social environment. Although Ecuador’s constitution is groundbreaking from a legal standpoint, the question arises of how the rights of nature is spatially manifested beyond the designation of protected areas? To shed light on such interrogation, this article, based on qualitative research, focuses on the linear park component of the mega-project Guayaquil Ecológico heralded as a first materialization which champions the “Rights of Nature” under the vision of the Buen Vivir. It unravels the contested rhetoric and realities of the Guayaquil Ecológico linear park in a critical review of the as-built project in relation to the larger objectives of Buen Vivir. The Guayaquil Ecologico linear park promised to simultaneously upgrade both social and environmental dimensions. However, it did not fully address the complexity of Guayaquil’s socio-ecological context and some of the structural injustices of the estuarine territory. Buen Vivir was rhetorically mobilised to implement a project where aesthetic dimensions dominated, further perpetuating socio-ecological vulnerabilities through relocation and evictions. Furthermore, its implementation was dependent on a specific political moment, leaving it in a state of abandonment and neglect. The Buen Vivir philosophy—as a decolonial stance that challenges western forms of development—can offer a fundamental base to question current modes of territorial occupation based on extractivist planning and design strategies. It holds significant potential to serve as base to re-think the relationship between forms of settlement, natural dynamics, and worldviews.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-021-00147-wUrban designUrban planningRights of natureGreen infrastructureGuayaquilGlobal south |
| spellingShingle | María Fernanda Ordóñez Kelly Shannon Viviana d’Auria The materialization of the Buen Vivir and the Rights of Nature: Rhetoric and Realities of Guayaquil Ecológico urban regeneration project City, Territory and Architecture Urban design Urban planning Rights of nature Green infrastructure Guayaquil Global south |
| title | The materialization of the Buen Vivir and the Rights of Nature: Rhetoric and Realities of Guayaquil Ecológico urban regeneration project |
| title_full | The materialization of the Buen Vivir and the Rights of Nature: Rhetoric and Realities of Guayaquil Ecológico urban regeneration project |
| title_fullStr | The materialization of the Buen Vivir and the Rights of Nature: Rhetoric and Realities of Guayaquil Ecológico urban regeneration project |
| title_full_unstemmed | The materialization of the Buen Vivir and the Rights of Nature: Rhetoric and Realities of Guayaquil Ecológico urban regeneration project |
| title_short | The materialization of the Buen Vivir and the Rights of Nature: Rhetoric and Realities of Guayaquil Ecológico urban regeneration project |
| title_sort | materialization of the buen vivir and the rights of nature rhetoric and realities of guayaquil ecologico urban regeneration project |
| topic | Urban design Urban planning Rights of nature Green infrastructure Guayaquil Global south |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-021-00147-w |
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