Social practices in public space: cases San Jerónimo, Hualhuas and San Agustín de Cajas

Abstract

The aim was to describe the social and urban practices in public spaces in the districts of San Jerónimo de Tunán, San Agustín de Cajas and Hualhuas in the Mantaro Valley. Citizens who passed through the plazas and public spaces were surveyed by means of a three-point Likert-type questionnaire, the questions dealt with the daily uses and practices developed in such spaces. The results revealed that the use of spaces through regular practices translated into relationships and links between the subject and the urban space, which gradually changed. Public spaces are carriers of activities that foster and preserve cultural traditions. Five basic types of practices associated with urban space were identified, which were linked to the concept of: (a) transit, (b) activities, (c) social inclusion, (d) work and (c) environment. All these practices were condensed in the form and use that the subject gave to these public spaces, which usually present incongruence with the destination for which they were conceived in their architectural designs, either due to aesthetic issues or rules of use