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PRE-FEASIBILITY, FEASIBILITY STUDIES, AND FINAL DESIGNS: THE MARKET SYSTEM OF THE CITY OF GUAYAQUIL

This study was funded by the World Bank, and the Municipal   Development  Program (PDM) is currently on its initial stage.  The objective was to provide consulting    services in the areas of research, design, and implementation of a new urban commercial system   for  the   city  of Guayaquil.The market system that was proposed  outlined three types of interventions:  (1)    Construction of new market facilities (both retail and wholesale); (2) Renovation, improvement, expansion, and/or determination of alternative uses for existing local markets; (3) Reordering  the  shops  and/or moving them elsewhere, according to the current scenario of combined retail and bulk distribution sales.

The study area includes both, the consolidated   and  the   peripheric  non-consolidated   urban Sectors of Guayaquil. Its  sites were the current  formal and informal operational market activity takes place. Additional outlets could be proposed within these boundaries, in order to cover the unsatisfied demand.  The study area will be subdivided into smaller zones ,   according  to  the    current operational market and fairs, in relation to the existing population density rates   (geographic location of current and future consumers).

In Guayaquil, as in other Latin American cities, food distribution   is   characterized by the coexistence of a traditional system made up of both retailers and  wholesalers,  and of  a modern supermarket system in which the company assumes both roles.  Additionally, there is a wholesale sub-system that stems from the agro-industrial sector (processed food), which sells to the consumer without intermediaries.