Developing Deltas, Developing Opportunities. Landscape based strategies for water management and socio-envrionmental justice

Water management in delta cities has been widely discussed. Strategies have shifted from relying on engineered-based solutions alone, to more resilient approaches that integrate water management and urban design. There is considerable international scientific research on this regard to achieve less vulnerable, more resilient and adaptive delta cities. Much of these strategies have been successfully implemented in rich countries such as the Netherlands or the UK. This puts in evidence that although all delta regions in the world face water-related problems, some are better resourced and therefore not equally vulnerable. Developing world deltas in addition to water-related threats, face problems that are the outcome of their own socio-economic structure such as spatial segregation. When spatial segregation is the result of socio-economic differences, it can derive in serious urban challenges. Latin America has the most inequitable distribution of wealth in the world, and low-income communities are often settled in flood-risk areas and have difficulties accessing to basic services, accentuating their isolated status. This research proposal aims at finding an integral framework of spatial strategies that will tackle both issues: water management and spatial segregation common in many developing countries. The case study will be Guayaquil, largest city and main port of Ecuador located in the Guayas Delta.