Living on the Edge−A Case Study of an Urban Community Facing Natural Hazards

The expansion of Andean cities has led to the displacement of low-income indigenous communities to areas prone to natural disasters. The case of Quito is presented, where the indigenous settlement of pre-colonial origin called the Comuna de Santa Clara de San Millán (the Comuna) was displaced to the slopes of the Pichincha volcano. Environmental and landscape degradation has increased the exposure of the community to the adverse effects of climate change. This research is a case study with an analysis of the natural hazards that affect the Comuna, with the objective of identifying which hazards should be prioritized when designing urban strategies focused on climate change mitigation for this territory. The study covered (a) the types of natural disasters, their frequency and intensity between 1900 and 2020, (b) the amount of rainfall from 2004 to 2020, and (c) the geomorphology of the territory. Background research was carried out on previous studies and grey literature publications, as well as a review of cartographic data, and an analysis of historical meteorological information. Additionally, two transdisciplinary workshops with a geographer and a biologist were carried out to identify the relationship between the shape of the ravines with the incidence of natural disasters. The results show that the hazards that should be addressed as a priority are floods and landslides. The study also identified that landslides have increased since 2008, independent of variations in rainfall from year to year. Given these findings, the provisional conclusion was drawn that Quito's urban development has not considered water cycles, which has resulted in an exponential increase in the problems faced by the Comuna. The situation is expected to worsen in the face of climate change, where the findings could be of significance for other marginal urban communities living on slopes that are prone to natural disasters. Additionally, urban policies should take into account the strategies of the Comuna, which work hand-in-hand with the natural landscape and associated water cycles.