- Malecon 2000 as a strategic Project for the Regeneration of Guayaquil    300 kb by    Fernandez-Maldonado, Ana Maria & Fernandez-Davila, Alberto | fernande@bk.tudelft.nl    Short Outline Malecón 2000 initiated a virtuous circle of urban regeneration of Guayaquil, considered as best-practice by the UNDP. The paper pays attention to the financial, organizational and urban design issues considered as key-factors of its success. Abstract Guayaquil, Ecuador’s port, biggest city and main economic centre, has been radically transformed thanks to a process of urban regeneration initiated in the late 1990s. Several cultural, recreational and commercial projects have been built, followed by visible improvements of urban services and urban space, which have produced an undeniable positive impact in the city, in both spatial and economic aspects. The whole regeneration process began with the renovation of the urban front of the River Guayas, the so-called Malecón 2000. This strategic project initiated the virtuous circle of a process of integrated urban planning with the participation of the population. Soon after Malecón 2000 was opened to the public it became evident that the local population fully embraced the project. The people’s re-appropriation of the riverside as a space for promenades was accompanied by a wide support to the continuation of the process of regeneration. The city now attracts many national and international visitors, who remark the pride and care that Guayaquileños have for their city. In 2003, Guayaquil received a prize from the United Nations Development Program as best practice of local development and good governance. In this context, Malecón 2000 constitutes a relevant case to present as a successful strategic urban project. The proposed paper will present the main features of the Malecón 2000 project, paying especial attention to the financial (availability of funds and financial sustainability), organizational (public-private cooperation) and urban design (spatial quality and sensitivity to socio-cultural values) issues that may be considered as key-factors of the success of the project. Keywords strategic urban projects, urban regeneration, developing countries, port cities Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2007: Urban Trialogues   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper