<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Where abrupt and dangerous natural phenomena unfold in highly populated areas, they destroy buildings and infrastructure and, above all, cause death and injury among local inhabitants. In the case of the active Ecuadorean volcano Cotopaxi, eruptions have already posed considerable threats to nearby towns and cities due to activated mudslides (lahars) that flow rapidly down its slopes. Interviews conducted with inhabitants of vulnerable residential areas of the town of Latacunga have led the authors to conclude that – in danger zones associated with possible mudslides – the lack of building land, inappropriate management of the allocation of building plots and still-inadequate early warning and monitoring systems have favoured the chaotic spread of built-up areas and thus pose a threat to the lives of inhabitants should Cotopaxi erupt again.</p></abstract>

Where abrupt and dangerous natural phenomena unfold in highly populated areas, they destroy buildings and infrastructure and, above all, cause death and injury among local inhabitants. In the case of the active Ecuadorean volcano Cotopaxi, eruptions have already posed considerable threats to nearby towns and cities due to activated mudslides (lahars) that flow rapidly down its slopes. Interviews conducted with inhabitants of vulnerable residential areas of the town of Latacunga have led the authors to conclude that – in danger zones associated with possible mudslides – the lack of building land, inappropriate management of the allocation of building plots and still-inadequate early warning and monitoring systems have favoured the chaotic spread of built-up areas and thus pose a threat to the lives of inhabitants should Cotopaxi erupt again.

Urbanisation processes in zones threatened by volcanic activity: The case of Latacunga at the foot of Cotopaxi in Ecuador

Miscellanea Geographica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Where abrupt and dangerous natural phenomena unfold in highly populated areas, they destroy buildings and infrastructure and, above all, cause death and injury...

Urbanisation processes in zones threatened by volcanic activity: The case of Latacunga at the foot of Cotopaxi in Ecuador

Published Online: Oct 31, 2020

Page range: 183 - 192

Received: Jan 27, 2020

Accepted: Sep 17, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2020-0040

Keywords
Risk society, public participation, lahars, mudslides, Latacunga, Cotopaxi volcano, Ecuador

© 2020 Mirosława Czerny, Andrzej Czerny, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Urbanisation processes in zones threatened by volcanic activity: The case of Latacunga at the foot of Cotopaxi in Ecuador

Published Online: Oct 31, 2020

Page range: 183 - 192

Received: Jan 27, 2020

Accepted: Sep 17, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2020-0040

KeywordsRisk society, public participation, lahars, mudslides, Latacunga, Cotopaxi volcano, Ecuador

© 2020 Mirosława Czerny, Andrzej Czerny, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Risk society, public participation, lahars, mudslides, Latacunga, Cotopaxi volcano, Ecuador