Environmental quality of the rural built environment in the municipality of Nindirí, Masaya

Abstract

Determination of environmental quality in rural territories worldwide is scarce just like the generation of methodologies or tools for such purpose as intervention prevails in the urban area over the rural area. Measurement of urban or rural territory is carried out to evidence its condition, and on that basis, orient sustainable development. In Nicaragua, experience with environmental measurement of territories under the application of scientific-based tools might be null. However, methodologies for territory planning at municipal and urban level are abundant. The project research denominated Environmental quality of the rural built environment in the municipality of Nindirí, Masaya is intended to evidence and assess the environmental quality status of the rural built environment of 17 villages in the municipality of Nindirí, which has a largely rural population and has plans and guidelines given by the Town Hall to orient its planned development. For this purpose, tools for the environmental assessment of the built environment of rural settlements were used (Hernandez Hidalgo, 2009), whose conception draws on a holistic, systemic and integrating approach of the built environment relation -sustainability- balance-environment. This tool is made up of a categorial system of general indicators and specific indicators integrated from the interaction of components and variables present in the territory and defined for rural settlements. The objective of this research is to collect the present status of environmental quality and establish with it the premises of future territorial planning based on a sustainability and environmental balance approach in order to address the town hall’s interventions in a scientific, planned and sustainable manner.