This study explores the potential influence of the urban built environment on pedestrian flow in an intermediate Latin American city, Cuenca-Ecuador. Data from samples of 48 street segments were analyzed to explore how physical and spatial features of streets and sidewalks, as well as land use and occupation conditions influence the number of pedestrians. A quantitative approach was used to model the individual and combined influences of several variables on pedestrian counts using multiple regression models. Results from statistical modeling indicate that variables related to the physical features of the streets, such as sidewalk width, are positively correlated to pedestrian counts, whereas parking space and front setback are negatively correlated. We conclude that streets in our study area are largely inadequate for pedestrians due to their poor design, scarce walking infrastructure, and the prevalence of all sorts of obstacles on the sidewalks. Pedestrians, however, seem to cope with this adverse environment by adopting different strategies. We expect that this study will help city planners design better environments for non-motorized travel in intermediate cities.

Se ha demostrado que la movilidad activa para los niños en edad escolar es fundamental para la salud, las relaciones sociales y el desempeño académico. Por ello, resulta preocupante que, en las últimas décadas, la movilidad activa hacia las escuelas haya disminuido. A pesar de que existe un creciente interés en promover la movilidad escolar a pie y en bicicleta, la evidencia científica es dispersa y poco estructurada, lo que dificulta la toma de decisiones adecuadas. En este artículo buscamos aportar a la sistematización del conocimiento acerca de movilidad escolar activa a través de una revisión de la literatura científica de los años 2009-2019 incluida en la base de datos bibliográfica Scopus. Se evidencia que las decisiones al respecto son tomadas principalmente por los padres, quienes ven como una barrera fundamental para la movilidad activa la inseguridad, tanto vial como personal; sin embargo, también inciden factores relacionados con el entorno construido, las condiciones sociodemográficas de los barrios, la distancia, el clima y la conveniencia de los padres. La revisión de la literatura evidencia también la concentración de este tipo de estudios en países desarrollados, y la incipiente investigación sobre la temática en países en vías de desarrollo.

Intermediate cities are urged to change and adapt their mobility systems from a high energy-demanding motorized model to a sustainable low-motorized model. In order to accomplish such a model, city administrations need to better understand active mobility patterns and their links to socio-demographic and cultural aspects of the population. During the last decade, researchers have demonstrated the potential of geo-location technologies and mobile devices to gather massive amounts of data for mobility studies. However, the analysis and interpretation of this data has been carried out by specialized research groups with relatively narrow approaches from different disciplines. Consequently, broader questions remain less explored, mainly those relating to spatial behaviour of individuals and populations with their geographic environment and the motivations and perceptions shaping such behaviour. Understanding sustainable mobility and exploring new research paths require an interdisciplinary approach given the complex nature of mobility systems and their social, economic and environmental impacts. Here, we introduce the elements for a multidisciplinary analytical framework for studying active mobility patterns comprised of three components: a) Methodological, b) Behavioural, and c) Perceptual. We demonstrate the applicability of the framework by analysing mobility patterns of cyclists and pedestrians in an intermediate city integrating a range of techniques, including: GPS tracking, spatial analysis, auto-ethnography, and perceptual mapping. The results demonstrated the existence of non-evident spatial behaviours and how perceptual features affect mobility. This knowledge is useful for developing policies and practices for sustainable mobility planning.

Active mobility to school (AMS) has been identified as a pivotal element in promoting health and physical activity during childhood, adolescence, and beyond. However, the importance of AMS is often downplayed or disregarded in urban and transportation planning, especially in Latin American cities. Factors such as cultural and political dynamics, socioeconomic conditions, urban and social environments, household and individual characteristics, and parental perceptions and attitudes collectively shape the mobility behavior of schoolchildren. This research analyzes the outcomes of a study on AMS at public schools in Cuenca and Ibarra (Ecuador), through the lens of the Socio-Ecological Model framework. The findings show that 47% of students from schools in Cuenca and 26% from Ibarra engage in active commuting to school for at least part of their journey. Key factors correlated with AMS include gender (individual dimension), travel duration, household socioeconomic characteristics, and parental attitudes towards active mobility (household dimension), as well as street-level attributes and land use density surrounding schools (urban environment dimension). This study offers three significant contributions: a detailed portrayal of student mobility behavior at six public schools in Cuenca and Ibarra, an exploration of the factors linked with active commuting, and a methodology for estimating land-use parameters.

La implementación de proyectos de transporte mejora el acceso y movilidad urbana, influenciando las decisiones de localización de las personas y las empresas. Así también, genera impactos en el entorno, los cuales pueden ser positivos o negativos. Entre los posibles impactos, se destacan las fluctuaciones en el valor del suelo. El objetivo de este artículo es relatar el proceso y los resultados de un estudio exploratorio realizado para recopilar datos acerca de los precios de oferta de venta y de alquiler de propiedades de uso residencial y comercial, en función de la distancia a un nuevo sistema de transporte de tranvía en Cuenca, Ecuador. Los datos se levantaron en noviembre de 2017 utilizando la herramienta Kobo Toolbox y llamadas telefónicas, luego se analizaron a través del modelo de precios hedónicos. Los resultados mostraron que los precios de alquiler de las viviendas aumentan a medida que su ubicación se aleja del eje principal del sistema (aún en construcción al momento de la toma de datos) y que, por el contrario, los arriendos para propiedades comerciales aumentan cuando hay con una mayor proximidad al eje. Con respecto al precio de venta de las propiedades residenciales o comerciales en función de esta distancia, no hubo evidencia de cambios. Estos resultados pueden deberse a las obras civiles, sin embargo, constituyen una interesante primera aproximación a la temática que deberá ser contrastada con estudios históricos y futuros (cuando el tranvía se encuentre operando).

Parents´ perceptions can influence their children´s mode of commuting to school. In this sense, the purposes of this study were to compare parental barriers towards active commuting to school (ACS) between Ecuadorian and Spanish children, and to analyze the associations between those barriers and the children's mode of commuting. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed using Chi-square and T-student test. Associations were analyzed by several logistic regression models. Results showed that road safety is the main barrier for ACS, and that all the barriers are perceived as higher by Ecuadorian parents (p<0.001). It was also found that Ecuadorian children were less likely to be active when parents perceive greater total barriers (OR=0.15, CI=0.06, 0.40). Public policies should focus on reducing the parental barriers in order to increase ACS, specifically those related to road safety.