info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Public spaces and informal dimension of urban life in Quito
Espacios públicos y dimensión informal de la vida urbana en Quito
Registro en:
10.29019/ei.v0i10.334
Autor
Pea, Alessio
Clemente, Matteo
Institución
Resumen
The present study examines the urban public spaces in Quito, through a reading key that connects the characteristics of the places, with the dynamics of use and the individual and collective perception of the users. Through the systematic mapping of urban space with cards, a taxonomic reference framework was built. You can observe an informal use of the public parks, which are populated by the inhabitants on holiday days, to spend time in the open air. What appears very remarkable is that, in absence of strong formal contents, simple surfaces used on a lawn with few trees, they become living spaces where local community interacts and performs activities. The informal city self-organizes through the spontaneous use of spaces, following instances from the bottom and responding to contingent needs in an adaptive manner. If the creation of consumer-oriented public spaces and specialized and segregated mono-functional structures have created a new geography of social exclusion in the western city, Quito's public spaces (which is a poor metropolis case) characterized by unpredictable and spontaneous uses, are socialization spaces where it is possible to cultivate a true relationships with the community.
The study of informal practices can be a useful reference in Western metropolises, for the implementation of urban tactics and bottom-up regeneration practices, taking into account the everyday life of ordinary spaces. El presente estudio analiza los espacios públicos urbanos de la ciudad de Quito, desde una lectura que relaciona las características de los lugares, con las dinámicas de uso y la percepción individual y colectiva de los usuarios. En primer lugar ha sido posible estipular un cuadro taxonómico de referencia, mediante un atento trabajo sistemático de los espacios urbanos analizados. Se deduce un uso informal de los parques públicos por parte de los habitantes durante los días de fiesta, para disfrutar al aire libre. Lo que parece muy relevante es como, en ausencia de fuertes contenidos formales, los espacios destinados al área verde con algún arbolado, se transformen en espacios aceptados donde la comunidad local interacciona y cumple con una actividad de esparcimiento. La ciudad informal se auto-organiza con usos espontáneos de los espacios, siguiendo instintos y respondiendo a necesidades contingentes de manera adaptativa.