Living on the river: sustainability and public management of floating habitats in Babahoyo, Ecuador

Abstract

Babahoyo, an intermediate city in Ecuador’s coastal region, has historically maintained a close relationship with its river system and still preserves floating dwellings associated with residential, productive, and mobility practices. Despite their continued presence in the urban landscape, these forms of habitation remain only partially integrated into territorial planning and management instruments. The aim of this study is to examine the public-sector treatment and observed conditions of Babahoyo’s floating habitat in order to identify criteria that can guide its regulated integration into urban planning. A qualitative, exploratory-descriptive, single-case study was conducted. The corpus included municipal territorial planning and land-use instruments, resettlement documentation, institutional records, 18 structure records, and nine interviews: seven with residents of the Las Balsas neighborhood and two with key informants. Documentary analysis, descriptive cartographic review, observation, thematic coding, and source triangulation were applied. The findings revealed a gap between the institutional recognition of the floating habitat and the absence of specific mechanisms for its regulation, maintenance, and provision of services. The structures accommodated both residential and productive uses related to fishing, commerce, boat repair, and river mobility. In Las Balsas, residents reported favorable perceptions of specific housing conditions and continuity of their relationship with the river, together with concerns regarding future maintenance. The study concludes that the integration of floating habitats requires coordinated territorial regulation, institutional cooperation, community organization, infrastructure, services, and maintenance and financing mechanisms. In situ upgrading represents a potential alternative that requires further technical, environmental, legal, and economic assessment.