Rehabilitation of pedestrian infrastructure in topographically complex environments: articulation between urban civil engineering and multi-scale urban analysis in the Ambato stairways

Abstract

The 13 de Abril Street steps, located in the city of Ambato, Ecuador, represent a strategic pedestrian infrastructure system in a consolidated urban environment with complex topography. These structures, currently fragmented and deteriorated, present functional limitations, safety risks, and are inaccessible to people with reduced mobility. This study approached their rehabilitation from a technical perspective that integrates urban civil engineering with multi-scale urban analysis, proposing a baseline for sustainable and contextualized interventions. A mixed methodology was applied, combining citizen surveys, in-situ technical surveys, and spatial analysis at macro, meso, and micro scales. The results identified critical conditions in the geometric design, territorial integration, and functionality of the sections. It was concluded that it is essential to implement technical rehabilitation strategies that consider universal accessibility, optimization of the construction system, and recovery of the urban and social value of the steps, in accordance with principles of sustainable mobility and community cohesion.