11 Main concepts grouped into three cathegories

→ Introduction → Intangible Qualities of the PS → Marginalization and the PS → The Architectural Qualities of the PS: Establishment of Criteria to Outline Analysis Parameters → Conclusions 02 Demarcation of criteria: Literature Review.

Chapter two: Demarcation of criteria.

FIG 9. De las Vigas Square in Leon (author’s own, 2020).

Introduction.

PS have been widely studied since they have been present in human settlement for thousands of years. The more it is known about them, the more complex they can be perceived; nevertheless, these complexities are not always evident at first sight. Human interactions take place in these spaces and they can modify the physical aspects of them. The key concepts needed to understand the chosen topic will be reckoned in the present literature review.

The first group of concepts reviewed is formed by some intangible qualities, as appropriation, the role of PS in contemporary life and the sense of belonging in PS. In the second group of concepts analyses the relationship between marginalization and the PS, through urban intricacies such as informality and socio-spatial inequality. These concepts are relevant especially in a context located in the ‘global south’ such as the chosen case study, Leon. It is important because the region of Latin America has the highest income inequality in the world (UNDP, 2019). In Leon, as in many other Latin American cities, it can be observed in the urban landscape.

FIG 10. Figure showing how wage inequality in Latin American countries is larger than in any other region (Messina & Silva, 2018).

“The Gini coefficient measures the equality of income distribution, ranging from zero (perfect equality) to 100 (maximal inequality)” (Messina & Silva, 2018).