Diana Chavez Vargas

Masters
Community and Regional Planning

Research Title : An Exploratory Study: Creating a Trans-Indigenous Zone at Pastaza, Ecuador

Diana Chavez Vargas, a master's student in Community and Regional Planning, traveled to Pastaza, Ecuador in the Summer of 2017 to conduct a exploratory research about the visioning of land use and practices on a plot of land that will serve as a New Intercultural Indigenous city.  The New Intercultural Indigenous City is described as a trans-indigenous zone for its intersection between multiple tribes and for its physical location between the city and the Indigenous lands.  Diana intends to articulate the perspective of Indigenous people on planning processes and alternative ways to live within the urban area. This will be accomplished by understanding how indigenous views of living are assimilated to non-indigenous norms within the urban area and by analyzing the dynamics between local governments and indigenous people regarding the illegal settlements.