Designing urban spaces from the collective imaginary and participation

Authors

  • Mary Johana Hernández Araque Universidad La Gran Colombia

Abstract

Contemporary problems of urban space and city life revolve around congestion, pollution, waste, insecurity, lack of ownership, as well as lack of social and cultural dynamics, among others. Besides the above, the deterioration of urban space, relates to the fact that the way in which they are designed caters to technical, aesthetic and economic requirements, disregarding, in most cases, the real needs of citizens. Thus, from the theoretical, academic and so-called urban collective stand points, new ways of management and urban design are being explored, in order to incorporate features such as true and full inclusion of citizens, new technologies as tools for participation and innovation, use of small-scale urban spaces that become potential scenarios of urban renewal, self-management as a strategy for the development of urban spaces that meet the immediate needs of citizens and participatory urban actions as an alternative for healing partial wounds that traditional interventions are leaving in the the city. The objective of this work is a theoretical reflection on the aforementioned problems, which are a reality in most cities in Colombia; after that, to ask about these new alternatives for design and construction of urban spaces; and finally, through the case study project, to display a clear example of spatial transformation through participatory urban design, the use of the residual public spaces and self-management of small-scale (neighbourhood scale) which will contribute in the construction of a permeable, accessible and sustainable urban fabric within the urban grid of our cities.

Keywords:

Participation, collectivism, urban activism, urban management, participatory design, urban voids

Author Biography

Mary Johana Hernández Araque, Universidad La Gran Colombia

Arquitecta y Master en Gestion y Valoracion Urbana. Consultora en proyectos de diseño urbano, planificacion territorial e instrumentos de gestion urbana. Docente investigadora en la Universidad La Gran Colombia, Bogota.