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QUITO

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January 2023

The relaxation of height restrictions for towers in Quito, the relocation of the city's airport and the upcoming inauguration of its metro system have heralded a new era of densification for the Ecuadorian capital. Trying to steal some of the equatorial shimmer is a new crop of scintillating skyscrapers by global names, and a school of resourceful locals thriving in their lofty shadows. Rainbow Blue Nelson, our roving Latin American travel writer, finds out how this rejuvenated cityscape is helping to reboot the country's ambitions

01. IQON

Part of local developer Uribe Schwarzkopf's plan to reshape Quito's skyline by enlisting the help of global architects, Iqon is the brutalist South American debut of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Now officially Quito's tallest building, Iqon comes with a prickly 'pineapple skin' that creates plenty of nooks for trees to be planted on the balconies. Uribe Schwarzkopf and BIG have another urban forest, Epiq, going up further south. uribeschwarzkopf.com, big.dk

02. METRO DE QUITO

The biggest urbanism project in Quito's history finished construction ahead of schedule and on budget in 2019, but has been kept tantalisingly under wraps for four years as the city searched for an operator. Light is finally at the end of the 22.6kmlong tunnel, with the new metro due to open in December 2022. Worth the wait? Definitely. With 15 stations and a sparkly branding, the network will reduce the city's carbon footprint by 60,000 tons of CO2 each year. metrodequito.gob.ec

03. FORESTA