Land Use Diversification in the Elite Residential Sector of Quito, Ecuador

Resumen

Abstract It is generally assumed that older mansions in the elite residential sector of Latin American cities filter down to the middle classes once their residents migrate to modern suburban homes. Five land use maps compiled between 1975 and 1999 show that the elite residential sector of Quito (Mariscal Sucre) experienced a much more complex fate. Diffusion of nonresidential land uses from the city center and its associated spine transformed the residential neighborhood into a vibrant upper-scale business district. Sophisticated businesses subsequently moved on to modern suburban facilities, but Mariscal Sucre became a major hub for business, nocturnal entertainment, and tourism. Diversification of land use in Mariscal Sucre confirms the Crowley hypothesis of complexity in Latin American urban land use patterns (Crowley 1995 Crowley, William K. 1995. Order and disorder—A model of Latin American urban land use. Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook, 57: 9–31. [Google Scholar]).