Discussion on urban de-qualification and requalification

On May 26, the talk “Inhabiting public spaces between processes of urban de-qualification / requalification and the effects on socio-spatial segregation” was held, given by Mónica Lacarrieu, PhD in Social Anthropology.

The event was organized by the Permanent Chair of Anthropology and was broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube. The objective of it was to create a space for dialogue on issues related to Cultural Anthropology.

The coloniality of the territorial being, colonial anthropology, decentrations and the landscape of cultural appropriation were some of the topics discussed, which are also part of research projects on de-qualification and requalification from living and making the city.

Inhabiting is a phenomenon or cultural order that transcends the dichotomized idea of ​​urban space, goes beyond the question of habitat or housing. In other words, it is a continuous process of interpretation, modification and symbolization of the environment that surrounds us.

On the other hand, making a city is the movement towards the center from the suburbs or popular neighborhoods, a relocation and a spatial conquest because of an impulse.

Since the last decade, urban projects have been developed to restructure and recover degraded areas from the rearrangement of spaces and activities. Urban requalification has the notion of innovation as an engine of urban change.

"For some cities in Latin America, urban requalification is a process that tries to value deteriorated spaces based on culture," Lacarrieu mentioned.

In addition, the case of the Malecón and Las Peñas in the city of Guayaquil was analyzed, where there was an attempt to reinvent the historical heritage account. Cultural landscapes are born from a process of change, from de-qualification to requalification.

At the end of the talk there was a space for dialogue to resolve the public's doubts.

UDA Correspondent