Quito celebrates its 489th anniversary today and will close in 2023 with a projection of being the most populous canton in the country, with more than 2.8 million inhabitants. But as the population grows, so do the most basic needs of Quito residents, which have been reduced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the statistics reveal an economic recovery almost at the end of 2023, the numbers still do not reach the figures of 2019. Poverty in Quito was 12% that year, and this year it would close at 15%.

Although the capital outperforms other cities in generating income, it was not enough to create new jobs. Some numbers: in the third quarter of this year, Quito remained the second city in Ecuador with an adequate employment rate of 55.4%, after Cuenca, which surpassed it with 58.3%. Unemployment is around 8%.

The 2023 Quito festivities cost $1.5 million, from the $800 to more than $5,000 some artists were charging

There are sectors of the capital’s economy that have grown between 8% and 10% this year, such as manufacturing, metallurgy, trade and tourism. This last sector alone is aiming to collect around $1 billion by the end of this year.

What now worries Quito residents is that this slight economic recovery in Quito will be slowed by the rise in crime and violence, which has spread across the country, exceeding historical levels, and which is sadly affecting the social fabric.

For four holiday events in Quito, roads will be closed from December 5 to 8

The negative effects are already visible not only in the economic development of the country, but also in large and small economic activities and citizens who are denied to enjoy their city, to meet between neighborhoods, with the community and their neighbors. .

Today, the people of Quito are demanding transformative initiatives from national and local governments to connect effective public policies with the population, remove gaps of all kinds, and start working to build a city without violence. (OR)