Ransformaciones espontáneas en Cuenca-Ecuador. Lo elitizado frente a lo popular

The permanent urban growth and its diverse dynamics make cities entities in constant change; hence the spontaneous urban transformations constitute an inevitable process. This research studies two opposite transformations in the city of Cuenca-Ecuador between 2015 and 2002, through the triangulation of surveys, interviews, cartographic and photographic analysis, secondary sources and observation. As a main finding, two differentiated phenomena are recognized, one with characteristics linked to gentrification, and another related to the popular, informal commerce, mixed land use, social cohesion, disorder, economic activation, which does not have its own terminology. Finally, it is proposed to define the latter as 'popularization', in order to conceptualize it and deepen its study.