Social interaction in urban public spaces: When residential social mixing doesn't bring social cohesion

SOCIAL INTERACTION IN URBAN PUBLIC SPACES: WHEN RESIDENTIAL SOCIAL MIXING DOESN’T BRING SOCIAL COHESION.

This paper tries to establish some patterns for the urban design and managing of open public spaces in order to improve social interaction between different social groups related to the age, gender, social class and culture or ethnic composition. It is founded in a research carried in some public spaces (places and streets) with different social environments and spatial typologies in Madrid, Spain. It is a particular considering of functions and activities located in public space in relation with social practices of different groups, analyzing them according with the social composition, cultural differences, age and gender and the characteristics of the urban area where the public space is located.

The conclusion shows a high segregation inside these spaces with poor or non existing interaction between different social groups who built virtual or even real internal frontiers difficult to be trespassed by others. These divisions bring often some appropriation of public spaces, especially for social minorities, with the result some times of conflicts between costumers.

This result questions that residential social mixing, could bring only by itself social cohesion, because interaction practices are made in public spaces out of home. But it shows also that sometimes the development of some common activities overcome these constraints and get some interrelation between different types of public space customers, it is the case of sport activities, kid’s care or not so often, commerce activities. That shows the existence of possible patterns to design these public spaces.

(This paper will be shown in English together with a “power point” containing figures and its abstract in Spanish)