The single most visible sign of Portoviejo's post-earthquake reinvention is this 10.7-hectare linear park along the right bank of the Portoviejo River. Built with approximately USD 10.9 million in reconstruction funds, Parque Las Vegas replaced the damaged riverfront district with broad promenades, cycling paths, shade trees, sports areas and a network of pedestrian bridges linking the two banks. It opened in stages after 2018 and has become the daily gathering place for the city — families in the evening, joggers and cyclists in the early morning, food stalls on weekends.
The park is also an exercise in flood management: it forms the first section of a planned green corridor along the entire river designed to absorb high water rather than fight it.