Square in San Francisco

Chapter five: Conclusions.

FIG 51. Users in public square in Leon city centre (author’s own, 2015). The present dissertation has proven that the lack of formal PS in neglected areas in Leon leads to the production of space through appropriation of non-formal PS to make up the scarcity of them. In this research, appropriation has been regarded as the modification of a space with the purpose of making it suitable for its users. To demonstrate this, the research was divided in two parts: the first analysed the morphology of polygons and PS and, the second measured the studied the appropriation of the PS from the perspective of the users. From this study it can be concluded that appropriation is in fact a tool in the process of the production of space that leads to the formalisation of informal PS.

As researched in the first section of this dissertation, the typologies of PS present in different polygons in Leon are related to the income level in the area. Higher income areas are less dense and have more PS than low income ones. Therefore, each resident of high-income areas has access to more PS. On the other hand, low income areas, the spaces available have different characteristics that exclude its potential users: the gates, the lack of seating fixtures, bad quality artificial lighting, amongst other things. The biggest difference is in the way that each space allows visitors to use them, the facilities, and activities they provide. The disparity is not just about the physical appearance of this PS, it is about the possibility for people to spend more time there, comfortably enjoying these spaces within their own neighbourhood. To blur the disparity, the community identifies their opportunity to modify the PS according to their needs through the process of appropriation. This leads to conclude that the way they are appropriated is related to the morphological characteristics the PS has.

In the second part of the research as seen in the fourth chapter there is a clear example of appropriation, the case of the brownfield in the San Francisco polygon. A wasteland that has been derelict for years is a topic for discussions between neighbours who want different uses for it. It belongs virtually to nobody, yet nobody agrees on what use it should have. There have been simple physical transformations to this space to transform it into a football field. This proves that morphological transformation does not need to be drastic to self-produce a PS that responds to the communities’ needs and that they will do it if these kinds of spaces are not provided to them.

It can be concluded that the morphological analysis made evident the large differences between polygons depending on their socioeconomical composition and that it is reflected in the physical features of the PS, the amount, and the state of it. The appropriation analysis proved that appropriation of non-formal PS is a response from the community to produce PS on their own. However, it is also notable that appropriation is a complex process that involves not only the user and the PS, but also social relationships between the community, such as power struggles within, and the involvement of local authorities.

One of the most notable outcomes of this research is the understanding of appropriation. It is not a phenomenon that happens just once and it cannot be measured quantitively, as well as the importance of the point of view from a

user. This is important because for design professionals, appropriation may be understood in a certain way, and observations could be biased based on the theoretical knowledge and could lead to make mistaken assumptions. Nevertheless, it is fundamental to listen to the communities’ perspective of their PS for us to understand the dynamics within the community.

In the literature review it was discussed that informality is a dynamic phenomenon that happens outside the realm of the formal city. As it can be noticed, informality can have its own degree of “formality”. If there are rules and guidelines established by the community, it becomes formal, at least to them. Without the presence of municipal authorities, they must self-regulate their own self-production of PS. Under these circumstances it can be concluded that informality is the starting point for the process of self-production of the PS, and formality is the unexpected ultimate result. Appropriation is the performance of the users trying to attain that objective with their own means. For this reason, appropriation is empiric and dynamic, and the result can be hardly predicted.

FIG 52. Appropriation of roads in San Francisco polygon (author’s own, 2021).

informality

appropriation

morphological social

formality

FIG 53. The process of self-production of PS (author’s own, 2021).

the process of self-production of the PS

Appropriation pf a PS is a social process that later manifests in spatial changes. They make it noticeable that something is happening in that PS. As architects we tend to focus in those changes because as professionals our raw material is space. Though, we cannot ignore that the social dimension plays a role as important as the morphological one. Both dimensions are closely linked and to study one, the other cannot be ignored.

As an interdisciplinary field of study, urbanism needs to focus on the physical and quantitative information, as well as developing tools to approach the community and measure quantitatively the social spectrum of the PS. To later measure those changes expressed in spatial variations. Manifestations of appropriation are diverse and reflect how the PS interacts with the community and vice versa. PS are an expression of their community, and the community is an expression of their PS.