Public spaces and informal dimension of urban life in Quito

Abstract

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.