Public space, often viewed through the lens of architectural form or legal definition, is here reconceptualized as a fluid arena of social practice, constituted through acts of appropriation, negotiation, and contestation. The paper examines how diverse users produce space performatively, not simply by occupying it but by imbuing it with meaning, routine, and affect. In contexts marked by inequality or exclusion, these appropriations take on political significance, functioning as strategies of resistance, visibility, or reparation. Drawing from Latin American examples, the article critiques formal planning paradigms that seek to sanitize or regulate public life, arguing instead for a recognition of urban space as inherently conflictive and plural. The everyday use of plazas, streets, and parks becomes a tactic of redefinition, where spatial hierarchies are contested and reimagined from below. This praxis reveals the importance of viewing public space not as a fixed container but as a relational process, shaped by cultural codes, historical memory, and socio-spatial dynamics. The study thus contributes to a critical urbanism that foregrounds embodied practices and spatial agency, challenging technocratic visions of the city.
Martínez Moreno, A. (2012) ‘Prácticas sociales en el espacio público urbano. La apropiación como categoría de análisis’, URBS. Revista de Estudios Urbanos y Ciencias Sociales, 2(1), pp. 51–60.
