(Re) Making Collective Spaces. A Socio-spatial Exploration of the Appropriation of Collective Spaces in Guayaquil's Barrios Populares

Abstract:Globally, an increasing number of people live in self-built urban areas, a trend posing critical challenges for sustainable development. In Latin America, there has been increasing recognition of the intrinsic values of barrios populares, motivating significant institutional efforts to upgrade these neighbourhoods. Innovative spatial strategies and intervention mechanisms often include public space projects as fundamental to their physical and social transformation. Despite the interest in public space reflecting a positive shift in intervention approaches, the understanding of barrios populares and their collective life is still limited when considering the enormous presence of these neighbourhoods across the region. Current urban research and design hardly capture the local realities and the everyday life of residents in these neighbourhoods. As a consequence, the local trajectories, the everyday processes, and appropriation practices that shape and give meaning to their collective spaces remain underexplored and ignored. Understanding the forms of appropriation and daily dynamics in collective spaces is essential for developing contextualised interventions. In Guayaquil, Ecuador, governmental initiatives have introduced public space projects to drive improvement and transformation in barrios populares. However, the everyday experiences of residents and the appropriation of collective spaces remain underexplored. This research aims to explore the appropriation of collective spaces in barrios populares of Guayaquil, focusing on the socio-spatial dynamics that influence how they manifest in public space projects. By examining these dynamics, this research contributes to understanding the collective spaces in these neighbourhoods and provides insights for developing contextualised urban design approaches. Employing a qualitative, exploratory approach, this study uses a multiple case study to explore the production, transformation, and appropriation of collective spaces. It focuses on three barrios populares in Guayaquil where public space projects have been implemented. These neighbourhoods illustrate the resident-led spatial transformation processes and the more recent efforts for spatial upgrading through public space projects. Empirical data was collected through a combination of socio-spatial methods that uncovered the appropriation practices in the collective spaces of these neighbourhoods. This research identifies spatial trajectories and projects, intermittent spatial practices, boundary configurations, conflicts and negotiations as key interlinked themes to reveal how daily appropriation practices shape collective spaces. This research expands the limited understanding of collective spaces in barrios populares. Furthermore, it highlights the agency of residents in shaping and transforming these spaces and contributes to knowledge on the interactions between formal and informal city-making practices.

Publication year:2024

Accessibility:Closed