Forests and Sustainable Urban Development in Metropolitan Guayaquil: a Multi-scalar and Comparative Analysis

Under current climate change conditions, nations worldwide and in Latin America face the challenge of meeting the demands resulting from continuous urban growth while attempting to reduce environmental damage. Ecuador, particularly Guayaquil, is no exception. It is a city that has historically suffered ongoing degradation of its two main natural ecosystems, tropical dry forest and mangroves, due to extensive urban development. The objectives of this study were to analyze the relationship between forests or forest remnants with selected neighborhood units and the influence of the urban form of these units on sustainability and the well-being of residents. A multi-scalar and comparative analysis of different neighborhood urban patterns was conducted. Additionally, the research proposes the use of land management instruments with environmental and social objectives. The results denote the interaction, or lack thereof, between urban forests, the morphology of selected neighborhood units, their relationship with resident well-being, and sustainable urban development. Finally, the study analyzes the potential or constraints of the selected approaches to increase the benefits of the urban forests-neighborhood unit relationship, and the use of integrated policies for forest protection in the metropolitan area of Guayaquil