14 Reviewing literature to establish parameters and analyse case studies

Cities have been the habitat of humankind for centuries, and some parts of them are undoubtedly more memorable, they are easier to remember and to navigate in them. This has been described by Lynch (1960) as imageability, the more memorable a space is, the more pleasure it would provoke in the users. In the case of PS this legibility of the immediate context can be translated into their visual and physical context, which can be described by analysing visual aspects surrounding the PS such as the existence of landmarks and morphology of facades.

Other aspects that have been stated to make PS more legible are the orientation in relation to the sun, ideally facing the south; the relation between void and solid that could avoid the PS to be perceived as leftover space if it has clear boundaries formed by the surrounding buildings; and the presence of activities around the edges of the PS, because they will facilitate the presence of people walking through it and occupying the space while connecting between the different range of activities that could be present, whether they may be economic, cultural, religious or of any other kind (Alexander, et al., 1977).

Therefore, taking into consideration the concepts previously mentioned, the parameters used to analyse each of the typologies in the case study will be:

users

•Surface •Shape •Materiality •Sitting facilities •Shade provided by vegetation •Artificial lighting in and outside

PS •Connectivity •Existence of landmarks •Morphology of facades •Orientation •Void and solid •Activities around the edges

[theory] concepts

[reality] case study

typologies

establish parameters polygons

FIG 14. Reviewing literature to establish parameters and analyse case studies (author’s own, 2021). FIG 15. Relationship and exchange between PS and users (author’s own, 2021).

Conclusions.

According to the concepts revised above, it can be concluded that PS have an effect in two directions. One of them refers to the fact that they have an influence in their immediate spatial and social context, and the other direction means that their context also influences them by adapting it to their current needs. This duality is due to their possibility to either perform as an active element by impacting their environment and modifying the behaviour of the users and because, through a process of appropriation, the users can modify its spatial configuration to serve by being a passive element. Design elements and morphological features of the PS can have an influence in the way the space is perceived and used, and through similar characteristics they can be grouped into different typologies.

All PS have both the physical and morphological dimension and the social one. Both are important in the way PS are appropriated by its users. As it has been mentioned above, some characteristics will be more inviting for users and that will allow them to stay for longer in the PS. Also, some characteristics in the context will have impact in the way PS are perceived.

It is important to view both perspectives to have an understanding of the PS closer to reality. Considering their duality with the help of urban theories and methodologies, as well as the input from the users, who may not have technical knowledge but have the empirical one. This research seeks to make use of both to have a clearer understanding by having a wider perspective.

In the next chapter the city of Leon and the zones studied will be presented to understand the current reality of PS and the policies of municipality towards them, and in the following chapter, the analysis taking place will be comparing the physical features found on the PS and the appropriation executed by its users, according to what they perceive in them.