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URBAN GREEN AREAS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF
LIFE IN THE SAN JUAN DE MIRAFLORES DISTRICT
Karina Hinojosa Pedraza
Federico Villarreal National University, Lima, (Peru).
E-mail: khinojosa@unfv.edu.pe
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1237-9110
Doris Esenarro
Federico Villarreal National University, Lima, (Peru).
E-mail: desenarro@unfv.edu.pe
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7186-9614
Lucy Brigite Mio Morales
Federico Villarreal National University, Lima, (Peru).
E-mail: 2016019827@unfv.edu.pe
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4975-1334
Wilson Vasquez Cerdan
Universidad Privada del Norte, Lima, (Peru).
E-mail: wilson.cerdan@upn.edu.pe
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7064-028X
Recepción:
01/12/2020
Aceptación:
25/02/2021
Publicación:
07/05/2021
Citación sugerida:
Hinojosa, K., Esenarro, D., Mio, L. B., y Vasquez, W. (2021). Urban green areas to improve the quality
of life in the San Juan de Miraores district. 3C Tecnología. Glosas de innovación aplicadas a la pyme, Edición
Especial, (mayo 2021), 135-147. https://doi.org/10.17993/3ctecno.2021.specialissue7.135-147
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ABSTRACT
This research seeks to propose a design of ecological green areas in the district of San
Juan de Miraores, Panamericana Sur sector. The lack of green spaces increases
environmental pollution and aects the health of the residents of the neighborhood, the
proposal to incorporate green areas in public spaces aims to improve the quality of life,
in the methodology used to determine the location, a topographic survey of the district
identifying the existing green areas, as well as evaluating the climatology, soil science, ora
and fauna of the place and the urban environment for the design in such a way that it
generates microclimates. It also had the support of a virtual survey directed to the residents
of the area. As a nal result, the design of a proposal for ecological spaces that integrate
with the urban environment without losing their identity and minimizing their relationship
with nature is proposed for users' interaction and comfort using clean technologies.
KEYWORDS
Green Areas, Quality of life, Urban environment, Sustainability.
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1. INTRODUCTION
The Health Municipality Organization (WHO) recommends 9 to 12 m2 of green areas per
inhabitant; this comes to make an indicator that highlights the level of quality of life in a
district or city (Gómez & Velázquez, 2018). Lima, the capital, the fth most populous city
in the ranking of Latin America and the Caribbean, has a decit of 56 million m2 of green
areas, equivalent to more than ve thousand soccer elds (Ramos et al., 2020). In this regard,
the District of San Juan de Miraores, which is home to approximately 355,299 inhabitants
(Amaya et al., 2020), only has around 1.69 m2 of green areas per inhabitant, which is
insucient, ranking among the 15 districts with the least green spaces in all of Metropolitan
Lima (INEI, 2017), that is, below that recommended by the World Health Organization,
this increases the need to establish various mechanisms to achieve the recommended gure.
This decrease in green areas causes citizens' quality of life to be negatively aected by not
having the environmental benets provided by green places or similar public spaces and not
meeting recommended international standards (SINIA, 2016).
The inuence of urban green areas on the quality of life of the population is an issue that
has only recently been incorporated into the political and scientic agenda. There is not
yet a strong current of public opinion interested in claiming the social importance of these
natural areas (Berrocal, 2020), is what is evidenced in the District of San Juan de Miraores,
there is an excellent disinterest of the authorities added to the accelerated urban expansion,
the sale of illegal land, which led to the transfer of spaces destined to green areas, and in
many cases, free zones have been turned into informal waste dumps (Esenarro et al., 2020).
The little importance given to the planning of urban green areas means that the San Juan
de Miraores district does not have adequate green spaces, a fundamental element for
improving the population's well-being, especially in large cities. Indeed, in the great cities
of the world today, we speak not only of urban forests, ecological parks, networks, and
green belts but also of urban green areas' naturalization (Reyes and Figueroa, 2010). Thus,
it is a question of recognizing, amid urbanization or urban expansion, nature, its presence,
its importance, and, therefore, the need for its conservation (Moyano & Priego, 2009).
Additionally, urban green areas can be incorporated as an element for the application of
the concept of sustainability (Vega et al., 2020).
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1.1. QUALITY OF LIFE
The expression "quality of life" has been signicantly used in everyday language and in
dierent disciplines that deal with studying the complex economic, social, environmental,
territorial, and relationship problems that characterize society. The concept of quality of
life has become a pivotal perspective to understand and measure, on dierent scales, the
conditions in which the population lives. In cities, the importance of equipment and services
to improve the inhabitants' quality of life has been pointed out (Morales et al., 2018).
2. METHODS AND MATERIALS
2.1. STUDY AREA
The district of San Juan de Miraores, in gure 1, located in the department of Lima,
in Peru. It limits the north with La Molina's community, to the east with Villa María del
Triunfo's district, to the south with Villa El Salvador and San Pedro de los Chorrillos, and
the west with the community of Santiago de Surco. San Juan de Miraores' district was
founded on January 12, 1965, by Law 15382, and is divided into 6 zones (Municipalidad
distrital de San Juan de Miraores, 2012).
Figure 1. Map of sectors of the San Juan de Miraores district.
Source: own elaboration.
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Figure 1 shows the delimitation of the study area and the geographical location.
2.2. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDY AREA
The District of San Juan de Miraores mentions the following physical and ecological
characteristics (Miyasako, 2009).
Table 1. Characteristics of the San Juan de Miraores District.
Characteristic Description
Climate and Ecology
The district corresponds to the tropical climatic region; However, arid and semi-
arid desert environments occur due to the cold Humboldt current and the Andes
Mountains.
Temperature
The annual average temperature is 18.5 ° C, with moderate monthly variations.
During El Niño phenomena, the yearly average temperature can reach 22.84 ° C,
raising the monthly averages to 18 and 27.01 ° C depending on the month.
Maximum Relative
Humidity
The maximum relative humidity remains between 70% and 87% and is higher in the
winter months. This parameter acquires a higher register in the areas closest to the
Rímac, Lurín rivers, and other water currents of natural or articial origin.
Cloudiness
The annual average cloud cover is 6/8, which can be considered high since it
covers 75% of the sky. The occurrence of cloudiness is closely linked to the thermal
inversion that contributes to saturate the atmosphere with humidity in winter. The
annual total evaporation is 1,028.6 mm, which is closely related to temperature
since the intensity reects the greater or lesser heat radiation of the soil, which is
manifested through the gasication of retained moisture
Winds
In the study area, the West's prevailing winds are registered, reaching an average
annual speed of approximately 6.4 km / H, which is classied as "Weak Breeze"
according to the Beaufort scale. These winds are more from October to March.
Green Areas
The extension of green areas is 38.4 hectares. This coverage denes an average of
1.1 m2 per inhabitant, far from the minimum value indicated by the OMS, which is 8
m2 per inhabitant.
Ground
Type II soil, granular on alluvial or colluvial gravel strata, type III high danger soil,
with ne dirt and thick sands, very high danger type IV soil, aeolian sands, marine
deposits, and swampy soils, and type V soil specic areas of Heterogeneous waste
deposits, with uncertain dynamic behavior.
Source: own elaboration.
The Table 1 shows the climatic characteristics and the vegetation cover of the study site.
2.3. WORK AREA
San Juan de Miraores “Panamericana Sur” sector is located in the western part of the
district. It runs along the right strip that runs parallel to the Panamericana Sur highway for
an approximate extension of 6km. (Amauta bridge to kilometer 18 of the Panamericana).
It limits the districts of Surco and Chorrillos. It has 36 human settlements, 8 Housing
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Associations, 5 Housing Cooperatives, and one Urbanization. It has 50 towns and a
population of 45,000 inhabitants (9,000 families) (Segovia et al., 2020).
Figure 2. Map of the location of work areas.
Source: own elaboration.
Figure 2 shows the location map of the dierent location points of the research development,
as well as the orientation of the green infrastructure.
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2.4. PROCESS FOR THE DESIGN OF GREEN AREAS
Figure 3. Processes for the design of green areas.
Source: own elaboration.
Figure 3 shows the methodological process of the green infrastructure research.
3. RESULTS
An online survey was conducted in October and November for a population sample of 81
people. The results obtained show the respondents’ prole, mostly female (67%) and male
(33%). In general, a level of education corresponding to university (42%) and complete
secondary school (26%) predominates.
There is a concordance with previous studies where the contributions of green areas to
improve the quality of life include two aspects, the rst contributes to the well-being of
people and is considered; the promotion of sports, leisure, recreation, and aesthetic elements
(Flores & Gonzáles, 2010), similar to the result obtained in this study that shows a (75%)
think that green areas play a role of recreation and (62%) believe that Green areas help
to improve emotional well-being, however, environmental factors that aect the levels of
well-being of any society that determine people’s quality of life should also be considered
(Falcon, 2007).
Those that have been considered in this study obtained results that show that (66%) consider
green areas vital because they help ght pollution, which indicates an environmental
awareness on the part of the respondents as well as (53%) He would like to see a large
number of trees in his green areas, which is consistent with other research where trees help
lter pollutant particles from the air. Research indicates that public green regions or free
access (Salvador, 2003) present dierent types, depending on metropolitan areas. These
typologies allow the dierentiation of spaces according to their surface, architectural design,
function (recreational, ecological, social, others), and social goals (target population). These
studies are consistent with the results of the research for the design of the green area, which
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takes into consideration, and an aspect such as the inclusion of a small urban garden is
added (Méndez et al., 2020).
Figure 4. Design proposal for eco-friendly spaces. View towards the main pool with a predominance of abundant
trees (a). Schinus terebinthifolius or coastal molles are easily adaptable to the capital’s desert climate due to
their minimal water consumption (b). Location in some areas of tree pits or bowls to store irrigation or rainwater
(c). Solid Meet & Work system combinations of benches, tables, and planters offer an innovative alternative (d).
Source: own elaboration.
Figure 5. Innovative urban furniture responds to and adapts to the design in the study area (a) and (c). Concrete
Tree Planters located in the park sectors (b).
Source: own elaboration.
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Figure 6. Design proposal for children’s recreational spaces. Front view of the urban garden (a). Cultivation of
vegetables, vegetables, fruits, legumes, aromatic plants, or medicinal herbs, among other varieties, on a domestic
scale (b). Sports area dedicated to benets for the practice of regular, stable, and moderate physical activity (c).
Playground for children (d).
Source: own elaboration.
For the choice of trees in Table 2, the type of soil presented by the Panamericana Sur
Sector in San Juan de Miraores was taken into account. It is a supercial layer of granular
soils formed by coarse particles such as sand or gravel, ne and clayey.
Based on the virtual tree guide of Metropolitan Lima, in Figures 4, 5, and 6, some trees
for the type of soil that corresponds to our study area require little water consumption, fast
growth, and excellent resistance to soils.
Tabla 2. Trees and features.
Scientic name Common name Characteristics
Schinus
terebinthifolius
Molles costeños
Tree 7 to 10 m tall, with evergreen leaves with widespread
ramications, with red fruits, adapts very well to all soil types. It
requires little maintenance.
Schinus molle Molles Serranos
A medium-sized tree can measure between 15 meters in height
and 30 cm in diameter, adapts very well to all types of soils, high
resistance to water scarcity, and low maintenance.
Tecoma stans Huaranhuay
8-meter tall tree, whose main characteristic is that during the
summer, they ll with numerous yellow owers, adding great beauty
to the landscape. It prefers sandy soils with good drainage.
Koelreuteria
paniculata
Papelillos
A medium tree that reaches between 10 and 15 m in height adapts
very well to nutrient-poor and sandy soils. It resists prolonged
droughts very well. Resists high contamination.
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Casuarina
equisetifolia
Casuarinas
It is an evergreen tree; it can reach between 20 and 25 m in height.
It lives naturally in arid and semi-arid climates of tropical and
subtropical areas, sandy areas, and saline environments near the
coast.
Jacaranda
mimosifolia
Jacarandá
A tree that reaches 8 to 12 m in height. It prefers sandy-clay soils
with good drainage. Resists urban pollution well.
Source: own elaboration.
Table 2 shows the characteristics of the vegetation that have been selected according to
their nature and the adaptability of the trees.
3. CONCLUSIONS
The proposal for the design of green areas aims to improve the population’s living conditions
and respond to the urgent need to raise the environmental quality of the San Juan de
Miraores district, Panamericana Sur sector. In this sense, the proposal is considered viable,
designed to meet those specic needs based on the area’s diagnosis.
This work is a rst approximation to the preferences of a public that, in general, seeks
through green areas to improve their quality of life, since the availability of green spaces in
the study area is below that recommended by The OMS.
This proposal for the design of green areas prioritizes spaces within the urban infrastructure
that allow us to advance with a vision for the future and the central axis of the San Juan de
Miraores district’s sustainability in the Panamericana Sur sector.
The limitations of this study provide the opportunity to carry out new mapping of
unprotable public properties belonging to the State, as well as to recover degraded areas
converted into informal garbage dumps, to make way for green places in the dierent
sectors of San Juan de Miraores, which will allow signicantly increase the size of public
green space per inhabitant. It is necessary to nd and give space to green places that help
the sustainability of the district and therefore improve the quality of life.
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