The Right to the City in Ecuador: From Constitutional Recognition to the Challenges of Its Effective Guarantee. A Territorial Reading of Greater Guayas

Abstract

The Right to the City in Ecuador recognizes that urban life requires access, use, enjoyment, and participation in sustainable, just, and inclusive spaces, although its guarantee remains incomplete. This study analyzed its theoretical evolution, legal configuration, and implementation through a territorial reading of Greater Guayas. The sample included legislation, case law, indexed literature, official statistics, and the cantons of Guayaquil, Durán, Daule, and Samborondón. A qualitative, documentary, legal-dogmatic, and cartographic design was applied using legal matrices, bibliographic records, and spatial analysis. Findings reveal fragmented responsibilities, territorial inequality, and weak budget integration. Effective protection requires metropolitan coordination, indicators, and meaningful participation.