Get started
Work

Urban Sustainability Through the Lens of Urban Fabric Typologies: A Case Study of Cuenca, Ecuador

Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Understanding the relationship between urban morphology and sustainability can inform strategies for facing the contemporary challenges of cities since urban fabrics embed information regarding the performance of different urban systems and their spatial heterogeneity. This paper assesses the variability of urban sustainability indicators for urban fabric typologies in Cuenca, Ecuador. We assessed 30 sustainability indicators for each cell in a hexagonal regular grid covering the study area and explored their spatial patterns and relationships with urban fabric typologies through spatial and statistical analysis. Results show that indicators vary significantly among urban fabrics, while built environment indicators dominate overall sustainability levels. A marked spatial heterogeneity is revealed by high sustainability for inner-core areas but much lower sustainability for fringe expansion areas – although transition areas are also identified. Spatial clusters of urban fabrics are found to be homogeneous in terms of sustainability only for urban fabrics with high/low sustainability levels, while heterogenous for fabrics in the mid-range levels. The quantitative evidence on the relation between urban morphology and sustainability unveils otherwise hidden patterns, which can support and enhance evidence-based decision-making for urban planning. Open-source data and tools developed allow full replication for further research in similar urban areas.
DOI: 10.3390/su162310260
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,728
OpenAlex ID: W4404702402
FWCI: 0.377
Cites: 45
Cited by: 2
Related to: 10