Green Participative Community: Social Action that Enhances the Urban Landscape

The current work presents the project for the improvement of green areas and urban image of the neighborhood Tierras Coloradas located to the southwest of the city of Loja. This work is based on the methodology of participative design of landscape architecture, which encompasses five stages, which begin with subjective processes in the critical conscience of the population that form the basis for the impulse towards participative action. These processes were developed in workshops with the community, in which women especially took part in defining the problems and possible solutions for their neighborhood. To this end it was necessary to provide them with information and education to execute their community project. As important results, we obtained sections of reforested city blocks that changed the image of the urban landscape, that strengthened the community and motivated it to work collaboratively in the improvement of existing green spaces next to public sidewalks. However, it is considered that the main result was to break the subjective impersonal boundary which then opened up to the subjective community, as a basis of action and participation. This whole process of social and technical intervention is done with the support of the academia and public institutions such as the community police and the Municipality of the city, working in true synergy and with a commitment to the self-development of neighbors of the sector and for laying the foundations of a future that is friendly with the natural environment, which will affect the quality of life of the community.