Urban tissues and residential types in Cuenca (Ecuador)

Abstract

Architecture, and particularly the architecture of housing, has been critically important in the history of humanity; however, its analysis has not often addressed all of its complexity. There is a need to understand the built structures as a fundamental component of urban form and their historical evolution as the result of a dialogue with the city as a whole. In this context, and to contribute to this analysis, this paper discusses how urban tissues and residential types emerged during the twentieth century in the city of Cuenca (Ecuador). A two-stage qualitative and exploratory methodology was used: a) the identification of urban tissues related to residential uses that, jointly with the compilation and analysis of historical maps, allowed the understanding of the city's overall evolution; and b) the documentation of residential building types through the analysis of databases and historical archives that provided 221 case studies. From this, seven residential types were defined: Courtyard Houses, Houses on Steep Slopes, Compact Houses, Urban Villas, Attached Houses, Row Houses, and Residential Blocks. All types appear or evolve adapting to the conditions of the city, the changing needs of society, the external influences, and based on the form of their predecessor.