Version 1
: Received: 9 April 2024 / Approved: 10 April 2024 / Online: 11 April 2024 (13:55:01 CEST)
How to cite:
Rosenbluth, A.; Ropert, T.; Rivera, V.; Villalobos, M.; Molina, Y.; Fernández, I.C. Between Struggle, Forgetfulness, and Placemaking: Meanings and Practices among Social Groups in a Metropolitan Urban Park. Preprints2024, 2024040761. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0761.v1
Rosenbluth, A.; Ropert, T.; Rivera, V.; Villalobos, M.; Molina, Y.; Fernández, I.C. Between Struggle, Forgetfulness, and Placemaking: Meanings and Practices among Social Groups in a Metropolitan Urban Park. Preprints 2024, 2024040761. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0761.v1
Rosenbluth, A.; Ropert, T.; Rivera, V.; Villalobos, M.; Molina, Y.; Fernández, I.C. Between Struggle, Forgetfulness, and Placemaking: Meanings and Practices among Social Groups in a Metropolitan Urban Park. Preprints2024, 2024040761. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0761.v1
APA Style
Rosenbluth, A., Ropert, T., Rivera, V., Villalobos, M., Molina, Y., & Fernández, I.C. (2024). Between Struggle, Forgetfulness, and Placemaking: Meanings and Practices among Social Groups in a Metropolitan Urban Park. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0761.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Rosenbluth, A., Yerko Molina and Ignacio C. Fernández. 2024 "Between Struggle, Forgetfulness, and Placemaking: Meanings and Practices among Social Groups in a Metropolitan Urban Park" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0761.v1
Abstract
The spatial segregation is a characteristic of Latin American cities, resulting in distinct dynamics of social inclusion and exclusion at both spatial and identity levels. Then, specific green spaces may convert into appreciated and contested territories, where various actors negotiate their uses and regulations. Considering a case-study in a green icon of the metropolitan city of Santiago de Chile, the main objective of the present study was to describe and comprehend the uses and meanings of the Quebrada Macul park among different social groups over the past two decades. We employed qualitative methods including six in-depth interviews with key informants (social and ecological leaders, historical neighbors, and park workers), five participant observations in the park, and statistical analysis of visitors. Results reveal that (1) the transition of being a popularly used hill to a metropolitan park rises tensions between public and private statuses of place; (2) conflicts emerge regarding who uses the space and how, reflecting power dynamics among different social groups; (3) the park, beyond being a public space, holds significant identity value for its historical residents, both for those who fought for its recovery and those who have lived closely, so processes of forgetfulness might be resentful. We conclude on enduring meanings of the park associated with the struggle for the place among different groups, highlighting the role of memory for the social integration of groups among natural spaces.
Keywords
micro-segregation, green areas, meanings of place, place identity, urban change
Subject
Social Sciences, Psychology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
