ASSESSING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF URBAN DENSITY. Indicators in the case of Cuenca (Ecuador)

This article describes the process of generating a system of indicators to measure up the grade of urban sustainability in Ecuadorian cities. The proposal addresses two critical points: a) the importance of create a system of indicators to express the complexity of the city and can be summarized in a basic index; and, b) the need to show the spatial dimension of the results to compare different types of urban fabric. The methodology can be summarized as: 1) Establishing a system of indicators; 2) Selection of a model area as case study; 3) Gathering of primary and secondary information; and, 4) Implementation of the evaluation model. The indicator system was applied in an area subject of an urban consolidation process in the city of Cuenca-Ecuador, to identify potential and limitations of the methodology.