The research "The Urban/Rural Interface in Ecuador: Towards integrated territorial development" lasted 36 months (from January 1^st 2001 to December 31^th 2003). The issue is to identify and understand the main elements of an efficient and positive interaction between the rural and urban regions. The goal is to favour the development of economic and social activities, and a coherent territory and environment management. The research aims at producing synthesis documents to set up local Agenda 21.

At the end of a 2 years work, a rigorous process of towns selection was set up with theoretical and strategic criteria, and led to the choice of 3 towns in Ecuador, localised in the Sierra, the Coast and Amazonia. It is about CAYAMBE in the Sierra, NARANJAL in the Coast and PUYO in the Amazonia. This selection, discussed by the different implicated actors, will allow us to talk about propositions for Local Agenda 21.

As a trainee, the ground work in Ecuador consisted in studying and making an inventory of the different actual tools of territory, urban and environmental management, and, at the same time, to conceive in this base the future Local Agenda 21. This study goes on the second phase of LASUR-CIUDAD project, which corresponds to a diagnosis and a synthesis of the existent territory tools.

The district of NARANJAL (54 000 inhabitants) is a coastal zone of banana and shrimp production. It is on the south coast and it is confronted to severe difficulties in the municipality structure. Moreover, the dialogue with the citizens is nearly void.



The district of PASTAZA (45 000 inhabitants) is an Amazonian zone of petrol production. It is considered as the Amazonian Ecuadorian administrative centre with his politico-institutional dynamic. Despite the effort to put tools and programs of territory development, Pastaza hasn’t set up a strong citizen dialogue.


The district of CAYAMBE (70 000 inhabitants) is an Andean zone of flower and milk production. It has launched a territory development politics with partnership between all the actors. Nevertheless the municipal structure remains weak and the territory has important environmental problems.


This study allowed us to identify the efforts and flaws concerning planning and to evaluate and understand the difficulties. Moreover this opportunity enabled me to work with a lot of partners in these three towns. This experience was rich with cultural, economic and social meeting, and allowed us to exchange our skills.

CONTACT
Centro de Investigaciones CIUDAD
Meneses 265 y Avenida la Gasca,
Casilla 17-08-8311, Quito - ECUADOR

Lucía RUIZ
Tel : (593 2) 234-705
luciar@ciudad.ecuanex.net.ec

LASUR-INTER-EPFL :
Laboratoire de Sociologie Urbaine
Bât BP, EPFL, CH 1015 Lausanne - SUISSE

Jean-Claud BOLAY
Tel:+41 21 693 7298
Jean-claude.bolay@epfl.ch

The issues of Urban/Rural cohesion for a project of Local Agenda 21 in Ecuador