While navigating the concrete jungle of Guyayquil that I have called home for the last 9 months I can't help lament for green space. Guayaquil is a city in dire need of more green space. Just 8 hours north in Quito, large urban parks are common. Part of it has to do with the climate, Guayaquil's intense 9 month dry season makes maintaining a grass field a full time job. The dry forest ecosystem is more eager to support broadleaf trees and thick underbrush than grass.
Green grass is a rarity here. Colegio Americano is investing thousands of dollars to install an astroturf field at our school so we can have a year round field - fake green space - never mind that I have to beg borrow and sometimes steal whiteboard pens for my classroom, astroturf is the priority...
The multinational cement provider, Holcim, has several large plants in the area, maybe Guayaquil gets cheap cement. That could help partly explain the city's obsession with cement public parks with paved soccer fields, paved tracks, paved everything.
How can I create my own green space? Next project, build a green house on our patio and research urban gardening techniques...
Ponte Vecchio, Florence
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