綠色參與式社區：加強城市景觀的社會行動

著：（厄瓜多爾)亞歷山德拉·羅薩里奧·蒙卡約·維加 譯：方茗 校：吳煥

“……空間，正如人類所體驗的，永遠是社會性的，永遠是一種社會關系”[1]。

為了享有一個無障礙和包容性的城市，擁有綠地和公共空間，那么以普遍、公正和平等的方式考慮不同的社會群體必須成為所有政府公共政策的主要目標之一，這樣才能保證和完善社會福利與公民團結。這是由法國亨利·列斐伏爾提出并頒布的《城市權利》文件，同時也被記載于《世界城市權利憲章》中，該文件為建立公平的城市奠定了基礎。人們不僅在享受這座城市，也參與了在日常生活中從愿景到需求的轉變過程。列斐伏爾建議恢復城市感，為所有人創造良好生活的可能性，并使城市成為“為集體生活建設的聚會場所”[2]。

在這個提案中加入了由霍爾迪·博爾哈提出的城市概念，“……城市是一個政治空間，這里使集體意愿的表達成為可能，這是一個團結的空間，也是一個沖突的空間”[3]，一個城市的新愿景即這樣建立，一方面是為了滿足服務和公共設施的需求，另一方面為了尋求人類參與和自由的可能性。

因此，這些空間在日常活動中必須是動態的、靈活的，并且無障礙通行，允許自由使用[4]。此外，南美城市具有獨特的生態和景觀潛力，應該以可持續的方式將河流與綠地融合，將其地理環境一同視為生命系統，成為名副其實的“場所”[1]，促進人類自我發展，賦予城市意義并創造其包容、關懷和歸屬感。

然而，應該指出的是，許多拉丁美洲城市缺乏對綠地和開放公共空間的設計和評估能力。無論是公園、廣場、林蔭大道還是街道，可根據其地理位置和自然環境，將它們的歧視性、差異性和分離性視為聚焦點，在小品、休憩區域、通道、植被、材料和照明中得以更好地處理。

所有這些都因權力和控制水平的根深蒂固而加劇。優先考慮處于金字塔頂端和執政人群，來決策所在城市的社會發展和規劃。公民沒有更多參與 （ops） 設計過程，處于被動化。公民表現出缺乏參與興趣，阻礙社會發展。在公共空間決策中不傾聽他們的意見，加劇了他們將公共開放空間、綠地視為并且作為危險空間的不幸事實。由此這些地方逐漸變成廢棄地，城市形象極差，成為遺落之地（oblitopias①，被遺忘的地方）[5]。

因此，從建筑學、社會學、城市化到生態學，基于社區、鄰里和城市的復雜性，跨學科交叉是非常重要的，是需要系統化的。此外,有必要將社會作為這些公共空間的主角和用戶納入設計和規劃的進程中。

要做到這一點，必然要考慮城市復雜的社會生態系統，需考慮到生態系統服務、綠地和城市內的自然資源以實現城市的可持續性[6]；另外，機制的建立也是必要的，將自然需要提供的生態系統服務納入社會日常生活。

世界衛生組織在2010年日內瓦公約中強調了城市和自然規劃對公共衛生的重要性。城市環境直接影響到居民的身心健康②。

在這種方式下，綠色區域在生物物理環境、生物多樣性和空氣質量方面起到生態作用。在城市層面，其主要功能是為休閑活動和社會共存創造適當的空間，并可以融入開放的公共空間或私人空間中。綠色區域通常在住房或住宅樓周邊，在很多情況下它們表現出某種社會地位。然而，無論經濟狀況是好是差，它們都會出現在所有的區塊或者鄰里間，表現為自然資源，為民所有，為民所享。

此外，在開放空間中的綠色區域有助于建立城市形象，連接主體與環境之間的關系，因為它們與一系列印象有關：氣味、記憶、符號、經驗、習俗等等，影響人們的主體性，創造記憶、感受和經驗，這些城市圖景可以從空間的本質契合城市輪廓、城市結構，并通過經驗和體驗成為城市精神、城市文明的組成部分。

“……社會化發展過程中，開放空間對所有融入社區的人們發揮了重要作用，從而觸發對設計的需求，讓人類能夠接觸自然的空間。人是空間的一部分，人類共同體可以共享空間最好的品質、感受和價值……”[7]。

由此認知，公共空間的品質首先可以通過社會關系的強度評價，其次是其容納和混合了不同群體和行為的能力，并激發象征性認同感、文化表達以及在社區內促進整合與合作，推動他們致力于共同利益、自我發展和提高其生活質量。

批判精神是為了實現自我發展而產生變化和解放個人桎梏的主要因素之一，它識別個人矛盾和不適、問題、需求、愿望、社區理想和改變意愿；在城市及其自然空間中，這些不適在其使用權不平等的方面表現得尤為明顯，不僅在空間上，而且在使用上和占用上，在形式上和美學的空間差異（設計和規劃）上產生隔離和歧視，否認他們對城市的享有權。但是通過鄰里社區的協作，以及高校干預，特別是洛哈私立技術大學建筑學院特別倡議中，已經開始聯合不同的社會群體開展合作：學生+社區，以促進社區行動為目的。可以將其理解為一個有組織、有系統、自愿且堅定不移的群體，社區力求通過使用新的技術、資源和方法，參與到（設計和施工）各個過程中，這是通過采用鄰里積極參與式設計的方法來實現的，從根本上激發了他們改變開放空間和城市景觀的動力和熱情，以實現共同的目標。

此外，促進社區參與和合作至關重要，在社區發展模式下，研究[8]提出了基于對城市問題或社會環境反思的社會變革，在這種情況下，通過參與公共開放空間和綠地設計融入城市的復雜性中。

1 背景

厄瓜多爾憲法以Sumak Kawsay提出的與自然交往的社會“好的生活”為基礎，并根據厄瓜多爾2013—2017年的發展計劃，在其第七號目標中指出，“……從各個方面保護自然……”，同樣在其第10號目標中，通過所有厄瓜多爾人以更加積極合作和參與的姿態，確立了“……社區參與公共和政治事件的投票權……”，這些規定標志著指導公共空間和公民參與的良好管理，尋求公共行政機關和公民權之間的協同作用，促進重拾跨文化空間的建設，鼓勵他們的碰撞、娛樂和使用以促進文化、身份認同和人權的加強。

這樣，城市景觀、綠地和無用或無意義的剩余廢棄空地，將成為具有公共性質的真實空間，愿意將城市的復雜性、參與性和包容性納入城市綜合體中；因此，公共感的恢復成為構建城市物質結構的社會變化和社會包容基礎，作為參與、獲取、流動的支撐和生產者，簡而言之公共感甚至是城市主體的意識，該城市以個人和集體幸福、人類公平和環境平衡為基礎激發自我發展。

在這一背景下，位于海拔2 200m的古西巴姆巴山谷的洛哈市，擁有約250 000的人口，被認為是一個綠色生態城市[9]，位于波多卡普斯國家公園東南部邊緣，是國家保護區體系的一部分③，其生態活力允許存在多種動植物，這些也是生物圈保護區的一部分。鑒于該保護區的生態、環境和文化價值，聯合國教科文組織2007年認定其為生物圈保護區。通過群眾的努力參與和行動，在保持其生態系統和生物多樣性與城市共融方面獲得了國際的一貫認可④。其中最重要的是繼續保護其生態綠色潛力，并將公眾融入規劃和干預過程中。雖然在某些政府當權期間得以維持，但目前在大部分政權期間這些意圖被擱置。

該保護區位于維克托·埃米利奧·巴爾迪維索居民區，由于其黏土土壤的顏色，被稱為“提阿拉斯·科羅拉達斯”（圖1），位于洛哈市西南地區的山腳下，始于1990年，旨在解決弱勢群體的住房問題，優先考慮經濟來源有限的婦女和單身母親，致力于不懈奮斗的非正規商業群體。

該居民區有2 289名居民[10]，512間平均面積200m2的房屋，占總人口的40%。 70%的人口是非正規工人，男性專門負責石工和建筑，女性大多是街頭小販，收入低于厄瓜多爾全國的345.00美元的基本工資標準。

在社會方面，由28個街區協調員代表的街區管理者組成。自1992年以來就為合作和社區參與奠定了基礎。由于社區的經濟水平低，此區域就通過自我建設過程慢慢鞏固。然而由于其位置遠離城市中心，沒有一些基本的服務和基礎設施，其中一些問題尤為突出，比如教育、健康、食品和娛樂等供應和公共服務的困難。這些因素因為衛生問題和安全問題而變得更加復雜。社區本身一直在利用有限的資源解決問題。

然而據了解，位于28個城市街區的70%的家庭擁有生產性菜園，這些家庭菜園供應自己的食物，包括蔬菜、塊莖、藥用植物、水果和觀賞植物。此外，在公共共享區域內，生產性植被形成了綠地邊緣（圖2），然而一個重要的公共空間帶被堆放上了垃圾，營造了惡劣的城市形象（圖3）。

這些獨特的空間特征使我們能夠提升重新評估這些公共空間的目標，并賦予它們改善娛樂、環境、感知和引爆的能力，從而提高社區的信心，并通過社區參與和行動來實現。

此外，在國際層面，世界經濟論壇上全球社會創新委員會提出了通過開展項目產生社會創新的必要性，這些項目產生積極的社會和環境變化，特別是為最需要幫助的人群。

有了這些參數，目前的干預是在改善城市形象的情況下完成的。作為由世界經濟論壇全球社會創新委員會定義的整體概念，提出了強有力的社會和環境創新：“……應用創新、實用、可持續和市場的方法，實現積極的社會或環境變化，重點針對最需要的人群。”

因此，作為創造新的理念、方法、產品、服務和模式的社會創新，我們的案例中綠帶的景觀設計將成為樣品，其基本服務功能將與改善城市形象有關 ，將來他們將成為“模范”引用到整個城市的連續社區并進行復制，有效滿足社會需求，建立公民、政府和高校間的社會關系和合作關系。

1 科羅拉多山脈地圖Map of the general location of Tierras Coloradas

2 住區周邊的公共綠地規劃（塊狀或帶狀等）Plan of the blocks and green areas around the houses

因此，洛哈私立技術大學的建筑學院在建筑學位中提出了幾個學位授予（TFT）的項目，其中之一被稱為“通過參與式設計方法在提阿拉斯·科羅拉達斯應用城市農業技術 ”，與學生 MaríaIsabel Burneo González一起完成，主要目標是促進社區對現存問題的批判意識，并促進社區參與和協作。作為啟動參與式行動的前提，對公共綠色地帶進行設計。為此，我們致力于改善鄰里的城市形象，減少該區塊的犯罪污名。

在景觀設計中進行必要的社會技術干預和公共空間振興，參與式設計的方法是干預的基礎。

2 項目目標

從學術角度來看，在過去的幾年里，我們一直努力以促進參與式設計為目標，以支持當前的建筑形態，并將社區參與作為建筑創作過程的基礎，尋找新的規劃和設計方法，將技術與社會相結合[11]。為了實現這一目標，我們依靠參與式設計的主要參與者Henry Sanoff提出的建筑規劃模型。該模型基于3個階段：研究、參與和設計開發，目的是積極將社會納入進程中來[12]。

從社會角度來看，我們提出了對鄰里問題的批判意識，在社區中引發了態度的變化，喚醒了參與和合作的需要，以改善鄰里形象。

為了緩解生態環境的退化，建議通過種植觀賞植物，從根本上改善城市形象以及空氣和土壤的質量，比如：天竺葵（Pelargonium spp）、秋海棠（Begonia hiemalis）、刺五加（Aerva sanguinolenta）、 三 葉 草（Trifolium hybridum）、紙莎草（Cyperus papyrus）、花生（Arachis hypogaea）。將這些物種用于舊金山德阿伊斯街的街區和1、2號街區。在這些街區殘疾人無障礙通行需要建筑學院學生的支持。作為第一個實驗階段的孵化站，鼓勵相鄰的90戶居民。

3 方法

對于提阿拉斯·科羅拉達斯街區的干預項目，我們從社區發展的范式作為轉變的開始，以社區和社會群體的心理社會和文化水平為基礎，通過各種方法和路徑，重點放在加強參與、組織、合作和社會行動的文化的過程上[13]。

為了開發和應用參與式設計方法的技術和原則，我們提出2種方法的合并，一方面社區發展，這是社會批判方面的一部分，由Alonso J[8]定義，通過社區項目中的合作、參與和行動過程，作為社會均衡與其內部聯系的擴展。另一方面，建筑設計方法論，在項目設計過程中結合功能性、形式性和建設性，在其前進和發展過程中，它們與參與式創作過程相輔相成，聯系起來并表達出來。

此外，該方法提出了干預策略，以包容的方式加強社區參與，這是通過社區研討會實現的。建筑專業的學生，尤其是從事該專業的畢業生，作為技術顧問參與進來[14]。因此，憑借他們在建筑設計方面的知識，引導和指導社區的需求，并將其帶入設計的認知過程，這需要大量的技術方法論準備[14]。

3 舊金山街的綠帶Front green areas towards San Francisco street

建筑設計的主要方法是具有分析性和綜合性的，來自參與式研討會、相關著作和現場信息的數據得到處理（場地數據、地形、土壤、氣候、植被、建筑、道路等）；以及綜合界定結構狀況基礎的結果在現場界定和確認的城市建筑問題）[15]，作為問題和建筑解決方案的橫向軸。

參與式研討會數據一經分析和處理，隨即應用建筑城市設計程序和技術，如建筑實況[15]和結構狀況，二者決定建筑布局或基線設計，橫軸被定義為指導決策制定設計的項目決策。為了與社區聯合，繼續進行在辦公室（大學）的建筑設計階段，需舉辦一系列研討會，接收各種想法。他們會對設計做出反饋，并決定技術設計的主要想法。所有這些活動都通過卡片記錄下來。然后在辦公室，所有的想法都按照設計和施工規定進行管控。

正如我們所看到的，這種方法具有程序性和隱射性，每個參與式研討會都對應不同的方法階段，必須按照明確的目標和時間進行規劃，下文對其目標和策略進行簡要解釋：

1）初步交流和批判意識。

一旦確定了要介入的地點，就會與社區的主管和領導人采取一種非正式的途徑，一起研究該團體的主觀方面，確定其公共空間的矛盾和不適之處（圖4）。

2）探索情景，社區診斷。

它與社區共同決定選址的問題、鄰里的空間物理信息的編制、網站的優劣以及待解決的問題的處理。

3）參與式設計和建筑方案景觀。

與社區手工設計的集體研討、方案、草圖、意向一同工作的機制（圖5）。在規劃和模型中為社區項目孕育了替代方案（圖6）。

4）參與計劃的制定和編制。

它允許定義用于執行社區項目的操作的過程和技術。定義范圍、目標、活動、責任和時間。

5）社區行動和項目執行。

由設計項目的構建組成，確定并執行社區作為優先事項所采取的行動和程序。

6）測量結果。

它根據短期、中期和長期提出的范圍、目標和時間進行衡量。它允許重新構建未實現的目標并提出新的方式和策略。

4 項目開發

以提阿拉斯·科羅拉達斯為例，在設計和設計想法實施過程中貫徹的范圍、目標和活動，一般方式和所基于的方法階段包括：1）現場和相關著作信息調查；2）該區塊的診斷和分析（參與式研討會）；3）參與式公園帶狀綠地景觀設計；4）與社區溝通最終方案；5）與市政府一起管理市級苗圃，選定捐贈的植物（獲得1 200株植物幼苗）；6）清潔房屋前緣；7）改進干預場地的地面。

通過以上的方式與活動，社區具有了積極的批判意識，他們表現在開始規劃植被種植，進行社區可清理、可建造柵欄、可改良土壤的工作（圖7）。

最后，我們認為，這些小行動將有助于改善和提高洛哈市綠地面積指數，使其增至3.38m2/人。并在未來達到世界衛生組織規定的最低標準9m2/人，從環境和社會方面改善鄰里和城市。

5 結果

針對遺留的開放公共空間運作方式，基于社區參與、公共行政（洛哈市政府和社區警察局）和高校，該項目最終提出了一種新的城市建設和景觀干預方法。我們希望這能夠啟發其他社區的項目，以及各種公共和私營機構的一系列行動。對有關問題感興趣的實體機構、個人或組織可以從中學習，從根本上尋求對拉丁美洲十分必要的真正改變的社會發展。

本項目的一個重要的成果是我們獲得了一個強大而積極的社區。協作營造公共空間，從根本上打破了客觀的界限，向主觀社會轉變，為參與行動打下基礎。物理空間方面，一方面，在1、2號和舊金山的街區以及公共花園的使用和功能上，城市形象得到了改善，播種了約1 200種植物，中低地層的觀賞植被得到了恢復。

裝飾性和農業綠地的強大共存以及城市綠地在公共區域的延伸將使該社區轉變為參與式綠色社區，這對土地使用價值的增長產生顯著影響，隨之影響其剩余價值的增長，中長期看來，居住區的2 289名居民將成為直接受益者。雖然在第一階段的恢復過程中，居住在67處房屋的100戶家庭短期內可以受益，這些家庭可以享受植物的感知審美價值，但最終這將成為用于會面、娛樂和共存的公共綠色空間，有利于加強城市景觀。

6 驗證機制

短期核查機制（2017—2018年）將從質量角度衡量社區對綠地的歸屬感和保護意識。中長期核查機制將通過直接觀察、公眾和社區警察來證實犯罪率與鄰里間植被的護理和維護的程度的關聯性。

從定量的角度來看，環境因素可以通過綠地面積百分比的增加或減少來衡量，并通過平面和立面的照片記錄以及該部分干預前后的立面進行驗證。預計公眾綠帶的視覺退化和環境污染將會減少。

從長遠來看，土地使用價值可以通過比較2017—2027年和2037年的分配額來進行核實，預計剩余價值會有所增加。

此外，在社交活動中，我們觀察到，在開始工作的兩年，所在的社區對此缺乏信任和信心。然而如今社區民眾非常積極，在他們的公共空間和社區以及合作中可以見到更大的信心和興趣。綠化帶重造的參與、合作和社會行動預計增加60%。這些活動由他們的街區協調員組織，而沒有高校直接出面，因為這樣可以在項目行動中衡量人們擁有的權利和意識的程度，用這樣的方式改善其社區綠地。

7 結論

社會和技術干預的過程稱為參與式設計，是通過致力于社區自我發展的學術界和公共機構協作，產生明顯的改變，為自然環境奠定了友好未來的基礎，這將影響社區、城市、地區和國家的生活質量。

社區發展和參與式設計的方法允許技術人員接受建筑學方面的培訓，具有良好的社會道德意識，建立更人性化的建筑；具有深厚的社會良知，體現在參與設計和實施與社區特性更貼合、更真實的建筑設計中。

通過喚醒人們的批判意識，直接激發人們對渴望、挫折和需求的自主表達。社區和機構之間的行動達到了既定目標，但從根本上說，它創造了社區參與和合作意識。

社區行動和小組工作加強了人們之間的聯系，并允許每個人都以平等、公正的態度和社區互信參與。

參與式的社區工作恢復了提阿拉斯·科羅拉達斯社區的公共綠帶，改善了城市景觀的形象，讓民眾也可以通過城市權利擁有和享受它們。

注釋：

① Oblitopia，來源于拉丁詞匯 Oblitus，意思是忘卻，遺忘的場所，就如同所有人類的活動在某處逐漸退化后所形成的被“遺忘”的地方。

② 《城市規劃的本質是服務公共健康》

③ “1976年，厄瓜多爾政府環境保護部建立國家保護區體系（SNAP）。目前共有33個保護區約占全國領土的18.55%”。在羅哈省，有兩處保護區，分別是波多卡普斯國家公園和普楊溝石林公園。

④ 2002年，世界衛生組織和泛美衛生組織授予獎項給洛哈城市，表彰它在“健康與生命空間適應性”的成就，2001年國際級競賽中在中國獲得“生態城市與公眾參與”銅獎，以及2004年獲得“旅游和休閑城市”大獎。

⑤ 圖1、6來自瑪麗亞·伊莎貝·布內歐；圖2來源Google地球，來自瑪麗亞·伊莎貝·布內歐；圖3～5，7由作者自攝。

（編輯/劉玉霞）

Introduction

“…space,as men experience it,is always social,always a social relationship”[1].

To enjoy an accessible and inclusive city,with green areas and public spaces,considering the different social groups in a universal,equitable and egalitarian manner must become one of the main objectives of any governmental public policy,in order to improve and ensure coexistence,social welfare and the solidarity of citizens.This is promulgated in the document on “RIGHT TO THE CITY” proposed by the French Henri Lefebvre,which is also contained in the World Charter of the Right to the City,a postulate that lays the foundations of an equitable city where you not only enjoy the city that is built,but also participate in its transformation from the vision and needs of the citizen who enjoys and lives it on a daily basis.Lefebvre,proposes restoring the sense of city,establishing the possibility of good living for all,and making the city “the meeting place for the construction of collective life”[2].

4 與領導、居民和業主代表會面Meetings with leaders,residents and neighborhood authorities

5 與年輕人、成年人和兒童群體進行社區研討會，為設計進行頭腦風暴Community workshops with groups of young people,adults and children,brainstorming for the design

This proposal is joined by the concept of the city proposed by Jordi Borja,when he stated:“...that the city is a political space,where the expression of collective will is possible,it is a space for solidarity,but also for conflict”[3],thus constructing a new vision of the city,which seeks on the one hand to satisfy the needs for public services and facilities where people can recreate,live with dignity,recognize themselves as part of it,and on the other hand where participation and human freedom are made possible.

Therefore,these spaces must be dynamic,flexible in their activities and allow easy and adequate access to all people in their free use[4].In addition,we consider that our South American cities,since they have unique ecological and landscape potentials,should be planned to mimic in a sustainable way the water of their rivers,green areas and their geographical context,so that they are recognized as living systems,becoming true “places”[1],that foster self-development as human beings,giving the city several meanings and creating its appropriation,care and sense of belonging.

However,it is worth mentioning that in many Latin American cities there are problems that show their poor planning and valuation of green areas and open public spaces (OPS),whether parks,squares,boulevards,streets.Depending on their location and context they mark the discriminatory,differential and segregative sense because they are visually attractive,better treated in their furniture,rest areas,as well as in their accesses,vegetation,materials and lighting.

All this is exacerbated by the entrenched and systematized levels of power and control,prioritizing pyramidal and political commitments that are absolutely responsible for directing social development and planning of the city where designs and decisions are imposed,turning citizens into passive beings without greater participation in the design process of the (OPS).This marks the lack of interest to participate,which hinders the process of social development due to apathy,it marks the fear of not having their true aspirations listened to and respected in decisions about public space.This accentuates the unfortunate fact of seeing and having their (OPS) green areas as dangerous spaces,loaded with urban imaginaries that are the product of their abandonment,planning and design,transforming themselves into insecure areas with a bad urban image,which turns them into oblitopias①(forgotten places)[5].

Therefore,it is important to transcend from architecture to ecology,urbanism and sociology,that act in a systemic way and is based on the complexity of the communities,neighborhoods and cities.In addition,it is necessary to incorporate society as protagonists and users of these public spaces into the design and planning processes.

To this end,it is necessary to consider that cities must be understood as complex socioecological systems taking into account their processes,in order to reach the sustainability of cities[6],which is present in the ecosystems services,green areas and natural resources within cities.However,it still needs to create mechanisms with the same vision of the need to integrate the ecosystem services provided by nature into daily life.

In addition,this was established by the WHO in the Geneva 2010 Convention,which expressed the importance of urban and natural planning with respect to public health,since the urban environment has a direct impact on the physical and mental health of the inhabitants②.

Under this approach,green areas fulfill an ecological function in the biophysical environment,biodiversity and air quality.At the urban level their main function is to conform spaces suitable for recreational activities and social coexistence and they may be grouped in open public spaces or in restricted or private spaces.They are commonly next to houses or residential complexes and in many cases they are indicators of a certain social status,however,they are present in all sectors or neighborhoods with high,medium and low economic resources,showing themselves as a natural resource of and for all.

Likewise the presence of green areas in the (OPS),helps to create the urban image in the cities,the relations between the subject and the environment,since they are linked to a series of impressions:smells,memory,symbols,experiences,customs,etc.that affect people’s subjectivity,creating memories,sensations and experiences that generate images and evocations that allow them to orient themselves,understand the form and structure of their city,but fundamentally to appropriate these spaces,enjoying them,living them and making them an integral part of their personal,spiritual and sociocultural growth

“...open space has played an essential role in the development of the socialization of all the people that integrate a community,it may also lead to the need to design spaces that allow the human being to encounter nature,of which he is a part of,and his fellow human beings,with whom he can share his best qualities,feelings and values ...”[7].

In this sense,the quality of the public space can be evaluated above all by the intensity with which it generates social relations,by its capacity to welcome and mix different groups and behaviors and by its capacity to stimulate symbolic identification,cultural expression,as well as the integration and cooperation promoted within the communities as motors of their shared work towards the common good,self-development and improvement of their quality of life.

One of the main triggers that generate a change and release from personal obstacles,in order to achieve self-development,is CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS,which identifies individual contradictions and discomforts and problems,needs,aspirations,dreams of the community and a willingness to change.In the case of cities and their physical spaces,these discomforts are clearly evident in the inequity in their accesses,not only spatial but also of use and appropriation,in their formal spatial differences and segregative and discriminatory aesthetics (design and planning)that deny their rights to the city.However there are some sectors of the population in which the collaborative work of the neighborhood community and some initiatives such as the intervention of the universities and in the particular case of the UTPL (Private Technical University of Loja) and its architecture degree program has begun to unite different social groups and to work collaboratively:students + community in order to promote COMMUNITY ACTION,understood as an organized,systematic,voluntary and determined effort of the population,which seeks to involve the community in the processes (design and construction),appropriation of new technologies,resources and methods that achieve their common objectives.This is achieved through the active participation of neighbors,working with the participative design methodology,fundamentally encouraging motivation and enthusiasm to change their open spaces and therefore their urban landscape.

In addition,it is essential to promote community participation and collaboration,which are studied under the paradigm of community development[8]which proposes a social change based on reflection and social reaction to urban problems or the social environment.In this case,through participation in the design and management of its (OPS) and green areas in order to incorporate them into the urban complexity.

Background

The Ecuadorian Constitution,based on the Sumak Kawsay “Good Living” of society in communion with nature and according to the Plan de Desarrollo del Ecuador [Development Plan]2013—2017,states in its objective No 7 “...the conservation of nature in all its manifestations ...”,as well as in its objective N° 10,establishes,“ ...community participation in public and political events and decisions ...”,through a more active,cooperative and participative presence on the part of all Ecuadorians.These regulations mark the common thread that guides the good management of public spaces and citizen participation,seeking synergies between the public administration and citizens towards the revaluation and construction of intercultural spaces that promote the encounter,recreation and their use for cultural,identity and human strengthening.

In this way,the urban landscape,the green areas and the abandoned residual open spaces,without use or meaning,will become real spaces of public nature,ready for the appropriation,participation and inclusion of people to the urban complexity.Thus,the recovery of the sense of the public becomes the sustenance of the construction of social change and social inclusion to the physical structure of the city as a support and generator of participation,access,mobility,in sum an egalitarian and inclusive sense of the subject with the city that generates its sustained self-development in the personal and collective well-being,human equity and environmental balance.

The city of Loja is located in the valley of Cuxibamba at 2,200 meters above mean sea level,with a population of approximately 250,000 inhabitants.It is considered a GREEN ECOLOGICAL city[9]located on the south-eastern edge of the Podocarpus National Park,which is part of the national system of protected areas③,whose ecological dynamics,allow the existence of diverse flora and fauna species and it is also part of the Biosphere Reserve,named by UNESCO in 2007,for its values:ecological,environmental and cultural.In this context the city maintains an important trajectory of recognitions at the international level④for the efforts and actions in maintaining its ecosystems and biodiversity in communion with the city,as well as for the participation of its population.This was maintained during several municipal administrations,however the intentions and especially the actions to continue protecting its ecological green potential,as well as to incorporate the population in the processes of planning and intervention of the public,have become less active.

This local reality is reflected in the Víctor Emilio Valdivieso neighborhood,better known as“Tierras Coloradas” because of its color of clay soils,located in the southwestern zone and at the foot of the mountain of the city of Loja (Fig.1).It was founded in the year 1990,with the aim of solving the housing problems of vulnerable groups,giving priority to women and single mothers of scarce economic resources,dedicated to informal commerce,but with a strong spirit of struggle.

The neighborhood has 2,289 inhabitants[10],512 houses in lots of 200m2on average,with 40% of total overcrowding.70% of the population are informal workers engaged in bricklaying and construction in the case of men,the majority of women are street vendors,with an income lower than the basic salary established in Ecuador of 345.00 dollars.

Socially they are organized with their Neighborhood Directive represented by the 28 block coordinators who,since 1992,lay the foundations for cooperation and community participation.It slowly consolidates through processes of self-construction,given the low socioeconomic levels of the community.However,due to its location far from the center of the city,without some basic services and infrastructure,some problems have been emphasized,among others the difficulty of connectivity,supply and public services such as education,health,food and recreation,factors that are further complicated by the problem of unhealthiness and insecurity,which the community itself has been solving with the scarce resources available.

However,as a strength,it is known that 70% of the homes,located in the 28 urban blocks,have productive family gardens in the front and the rear,which supply their own needs,among other things of vegetables,tubers,medicinal,fruit and ornamental plants.In addition to the crops,there are green areas in the public zones,outside the front yards of each house,which create vegetation zones in all the blocks (Fig.2),forming an important belt of public space with neglected and abandoned green areas,which are underused and filled with waste and garbage that generate a bad urban image in the neighborhood (Fig.3).

These peculiar spatial characteristics allowed us to set the objective of revaluing these public spaces and enhancing them for recreation,environmental,perceptual improvement and as a detonator to increase the self-esteem of the community,to be achieved through community participation and action.

In addition,at the international level the Global Council on Social Innovation of the World Economic Forum,establishes the need to generate social innovation through projects that produce positive social and environmental changes with emphasis on the neediest populations.

With these parameters,the present intervention is done in a context of urban image improvement and presents a strong social and environmental innovation,as a holistic concept,defined by the Global Council on Social Innovation of the World Economic Forum,as:“...the application of novel,practical,sustainable and market approaches that achieve positive social or environmental changes with an emphasis on the neediest populations.”

Therefore,as social innovation is the creator of new ideas,methods,products,services and models,in our case the landscape designs of the green areas would be the products,the fundamental services would have to do with the improvement of the image of the sector that,in the future would become “models” or references to replicate in the contiguous neighborhoods and in general throughout the city,satisfying social needs effectively,creating social relations and mutual collaborations between citizens,authorities and universities.

Consequently,the Private Technical University of Loja,and its architecture degree program,proposes several end-of-degree (TFT)projects in architecture,one of which is called:“Application of the technique of urban agriculture in Tierras Coloradas through the participative design methodology”.This project was carried out together with the student María Isabel Burneo González,with the main objective of promoting the community's critical awareness in the face of existing problems,as well as encouraging community participation and collaboration,as a premise to generate participative action,which led to the design and treatment of public green zones.To this end,work is being done on the improvement of the urban image of the neighborhood,which has become deteriorated due to the stigmas of delinquency for which this sector is known.

This required the intervention of a social technical character within the landscape architecture and revitalization of the public space,where the methodology of participative design is the basis of the intervention.

Objectives of the project

From the academic point of view,in recent years we have tried to work with the objective of promoting the participative design as a support of the current training in architecture,and the community participation as the basis for the architectural creation processes,seeking new methods of planning and design,combining the technical with the social[11].To achieve this objective,we rely on the architectural programming model,proposed by Henry Sanoff,the leading exponent of participative design,based on three phases:research,participation and design development,with the aim of actively involving society in the process[12].

From the social point of view,we propose to create a critical conscience about the problems of the neighborhood,generating a change of attitude in the community,which awakens the need to participate and collaborate in mingas[unpaid community work]to improve the image of the neighborhood,an initiative that has been widely responded by the presence and work of housewives,thus creating safe spaces where one can walk and perceive the benefits of the ornamental vegetation.

From the ecological and environmental point of view,in order to mitigate its degradation,it is proposed to repopulate the public green areas with vegetation,improving the visual quality and fundamentally the quality of the soil and the air,through the planting of ornamental species like:Pelargonium spp,Begonia hiemalis,Aerva sanguinolenta,Trifolium hybridum,Cyperus papyrus,Arachis hypogaea.These species will be used in the section of San Francisco de Asísi street and stretches of blocks 1 and 2,where people with some physical disability live,which made necessary the support of the architecture students.This was the first experimental phase of repopulation,which encourages the residents of the nearly 90 stretches that make up the neighborhood.

Methodology

For the intervention in the Tierras Coloradas neighborhood,we started from the paradigm of community development as a transforming hub,based on the psycho-social and cultural level of communities and social groups,through various methods and paths with emphasis on the processes of strengthening the culture of participation,organization,cooperation and social action[13].

For the development and application of the techniques and principles of participative design methodology,we propose the fusion of two methodologies,on the one hand that of community development,which is inscribed in socio-critical aspect,defined by Alonso J[8],as an expansion of the link of social symmetry within it,through cooperation,participation and action in the community project and on the other hand,the architectural design methodology,as a project design process in conjunction with:functional,formal and constructive,that in their advance and development complement each other and associate and articulate based on the participative creative process.

Likewise,the methodology proposes intervention strategies that enhance community participation in an inclusive manner;this is achieved through community workshops where architecture students,especially career graduates,participate as technical advisors[14],because,with their knowledge in architectural design,they guide and direct the needs of the community and take them to the cognitive design process.This requires a lot of technical methodological preparation[14].

The main methods of architectural design are analytical and synthetic,where data from participative workshops,bibliographic and field information are processed;social and physical spatial realities are diagnosed (site data,topography,soils,climate,vegetation,architecture,roads,etc.) and the results are synthesized which are the basis for defining the structuring situation (urban architectural problem defined and identified on site) )[15],as a transversal core of the architectural problem and solution.

6 舊金山街區的地圖，房前綠帶設計Map of the San Francisco block,with design of front green areas

7 建成項目（通往舊金山街道的街面綠帶和籬笆構筑）Project executed (front green areas towards San Francisco street and construction of fences)

Once the data from the participative workshops data have been analyzed and processed,procedures and project techniques of architectural urban design are applied,such as the architectural fact[15]and the structuring situation,which determines the Architectural Layout or the baseline of the design,the transversal core is defined that will guide the project decisions of design decisions making.A series of workshops are held to continue with the stage of architectural design in the office(university) and together with the community,where ideas are received,designs are fed back and the matrix ideas for technical design are decided.All these activities are documented and registered by means of cards.Then in the of fice all the ideas are managed according to the design and construction regulations.

As we can see,the methodology is procedural and projective,each participative workshop corresponds to the different methodological stages that must be planned with clear objectives and times,whose objectives and strategies are briefly explained below:

1) Initial exchange and critical conscience.

Once the site to intervene has been identified,we work in an informal approach with the community,its leadership and leaders (Fig.4),we work on the subjective aspects of the group,identifying the contradictions and discomforts related to its public space.

2) Exploration of the scenario,community diagnosis.

The problems of the place,the compilation of spatial physical information of the neighborhood,the knowledge of the weaknesses and strengths of the site,the determination to solve the problem are determined jointly with the community.

3) Participative design and architectural proposal landscape.

We work with brainstorming,scheme,sketches,design intentions of the community (Fig.5).Alternatives for the gestation of a COMMUNITY PROJECT are constructed in plans and model (Fig.6).

4) Formulation and programming of the participative plan.

It allows defining the procedures and techniques that are used to order the actions that will be carried out in order to execute the community project.It defines scope,objectives,activities,responsible people and times.

5) Community action and execution of the project.

It consists of the construction of the designed project,the actions and negotiations that the community considers as priorities are defined and executed.

6) Measurement of results.

They are measured according to the proposed short,medium and long term scopes,objectives and times.It allows to restructure unfulfilled objectives and to propose new ways and strategies.

Project development

The scopes,objectives and activities carried out during the process of design and implementation of the idea (design),for the case of Tierras Coloradas,in a general manner and based on the methodological stages were:1) Survey of field and bibliographic information;2) Diagnosis and analysis of the sector(participative workshops);3) Participative landscape design of green areas in public areas;4) Socialization of the final project to the community;5) Manage with the municipality the donation of previously selected plants in the municipal nursery (1,200 plants of low stratum are obtained);6) Cleaning of the front of houses,by means of unpaid community work;7) Improvement of the land in the places to intervene,through mingas [unpaid community work].

With all these tools and activities,the community became critically aware and motivated to carry out the cleaning,construction of wooden fences,improvement of the soil,as the first step for the planting of the selected vegetation (Fig.7).

Finally,we consider that these small actions will contribute to improve and increase the index of green area in the city of Loja to 3.38 m2/inhab.and in the future to reach the minimum established by the World Health Organization WHO,which is 9 m2/inhabitant,in addition to improving the neighborhood and the city environmentally and socially,as well as environmentally and socially improving the neighborhood and the city.

Results

The results of this work,propose a new way of working urban architectural and landscape projects of the residual open public spaces,based on the participation of the community,public administration (Municipality of Loja and the Community Police) and academia.We hope that they are projects that motivate other neighborhoods,that they are a chain of action of the diverse public and private institutions,a source of consultation for entities,people or organizations interested in the topics addressed and fundamentally in the search of a true change and social development that is so lacking in our Latin American countries.

As an important result,one obtains a community strengthened and motivated to work collaboratively in the ornament of its public spaces,but fundamentally one is able to break the boundary of the impersonal and to pass to the subjective social,as a base for participative action and starting from the physical spatial,the urban image is improved on the stretches of blocks 1,2 and San Francisco.The use and function of public gardens is improved by replanting with ornamental vegetation of medium and low stratum,about 1,200 species are planted.

The strong presence of ornamental and agricultural green areas,as well as the extension of urban green in the public areas will turn the neighborhood into a PARTICIPATIVE GREEN COMMUNITY,which will notoriously influence the increase in the value of land use and therefore in its value,benefiting the 2,289 direct inhabitants of the neighborhood in the medium and long term.While,with this first phase of replanting,in short-term 100 families who live in 67 homes will benefit from the perceptual aesthetic value of the vegetation,they will have public green spaces for meeting,recreation and public coexistence,as well as enhancing their urban landscape.

Verification mechanisms

The short-term verification mechanisms(2017—2018) will be measured from the qualitative point of view by the sense of belonging and protection of the community of its green areas,visualized in the medium and long term through the degree of care and maintenance of the vegetation by neighbors.It is also considered that the degree of crime and insecurity will decrease,evidenced by direct observation,testimonies of the population and community police.

From the quantitative point of view,the environmental aspect can be measured through percentages of increase or decrease of green areas,verified with photographic records in maps or elevations of the before and after of the stretches that were intervened.It is expected that the visual degradation and environmental pollution of the public green areas will decrease.

In the long term,it will be possible to verify the value of land use by comparing the value of a lot from 2017 to 2027 and 2037,where an increase in value is expected.

In addition,in the social area,we observe that two years ago when we began our work,we found ourselves with a community that was not very credulous or committed,now the community is very motivated,currently the community is very motivated,observing greater commitment and interest in their public spaces and in community and participative work.We are projecting a 60% increase in the participation,cooperation and social action in the replanting of their green areas,organized by their block coordinators,without the direct presence of the university.In this way we will be able to measure the degree of empowerment and conscience of their project to improve their community green areas.

Conclusions

1) This process of social and technical intervention called participative design,is made in synergy between academia and public institutions committed to the self-development of the community.It produced visible changes,laying the foundations for a future friendly relation with the natural environment,which will affect the quality of life of the community,city,region and country.

2) The methodology of community development and participative design allows to train technicians in architecture,with a great sense of social ethical commitment,making a more human architecture,with deep social conscience,reflected in more coherent architectural designs and with the identity of the communities that participated in its design and execution.

3) By awakening the critical conscience in the population and allowing it to express its aspirations,frustrations and needs directly,the actions between the community and institutions achieve the stated objectives,but fundamentally,they create a sense of community participation and collaboration.

4) Community action and group work strengthen ties and allow everyone to participate with equality,equity and neighborhood commitment.

5) The participative community work made it possible to recover the public green areas of the Tierras Coloradas neighborhood,improving the image of its urban landscape,also allowing them to appropriate and enjoy them through their rights to the city.

Notes:

① “Oblitopia:concept that stems from the Latin “oblitus”,which means oblitare,forget and “topos” which means place and refers to forgotten places,as we understand it,all those places that human activity has degraded and then forgotten.

② WHO Urban Planning is Essential for Public Health.

③ “In 1976 the National Government of Ecuador,through its Ministry of the Environment,created the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP).Today,the System has 33 protected areas,which cover 18.55% of the national territory.” In the province of Loja,we have two reserves:Podocarpus National Park and the Petrified wood Puyango.

④ The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in 2002 awarded Loja the first prize as "a favorable space for health and life",to this distinction is added the BRONZE AWARD,as "Ecological City and the Unique Prize for Citizen Participation" in the global competition promoted by Nations in Bloom in 2001 in China and in 2004,obtained the appointment as “Tourist and Vacation City” granted by the Ecuadorian Affiliate of the Luso—American Hispanic Assembly—Philippine Tourism.

⑤ Fig.1,6?TFT of María Isabel Burneo;Fig.2 ?Google Earth,taken from TFT of Marie Isabel Burneo;Fig.3～5,7?the author