37 Template of chart used to analyse morphological parameters

her house the outdoor sports facilities

the church

the square the brownfield

boundary of the San Francisco polygon

FIG 48. Path followed by Carmen (author’s own, 2021). The Outdoor Sports Facility

The first one is the outdoor sports facility. This space is similar to many others of this kind found in Leon; they are a much smaller version of public sports complexes found throughout the city. Specifically, this one was built some years ago by the city council in an empty plot next to the neighbourhood’s parish church. It initially only consisted of a basketball court. Three years ago, it was rehabilitated completely by the municipality, changing it into the way it is now. The basketball course remains; a small playground, a set of outdoor gym equipment, urban furniture, vegetation, and perimeter fencing have been added. Maintenance to the area is given by the neighbourhood’s association. Carmen has expressed:

To Carmen, the physical state of this PS is just as important as the behaviour of her neighbours in it. Both aspects influence the way she can enjoy her time there. Even with the presence of the neighbourhood association, the collective coexistence still needs the leadership from an authority within them. She elaborated:

“We are thankful because three years ago, they (the municipality) modified it completely, and now the children have their playground, the families of the children can sit on the benches, enjoy the shade, and it is completely fenced, but it was because of the municipality.”

“…It is a very nice place. Well, with all due respect I would like that there were more (public) order, in every place we must obey the rules. The sports facilities is… well, was before they closed it, there was a bit of chaos, but it is a very nice place too, I like it…” Due to the pandemic, the Social Development Secretariat (SEDESOL) has told the community to keep it closed to prevent people from crowding. The neighbours demand it be reopened as they need it much, nevertheless the neighbourhood association respects the government guidelines. While they wait for new advice from the municipality, this situation has caused tension between community members.

The Square

The second space is the neighbourhood square, located next to the church. It initially was a green area provided by the developers and has become the main public space for the community. As previously expressed by Carmen, this is one of the areas where she and her fellow team members have been cleaning. This is shown further on in the photograph provided by Carmen.

Residents of the neighbourhood gather in this place, throughout all day. It is the only PS of its kind in the area. Morphologically speaking, it has no urban furniture but has some architectural elements that can be adopted for seating. It has vegetation, an element rarely found throughout the rest of San Francisco. About it, Carmen stated:

“…we usually get together here; all the community gathers in this small square.”

This PS serves as the meeting place for community members and their friends or family, as well as the place where the inhabitants of San Francisco get together for their neighbourhood’s assemblies. Given these circumstances, the presence