Perception of Public Space and Gated Communities in Cali: dynamics of public space in the city

Abstract

One could say that a good part of any city´s history, is one that accounts for the transformation of its public space. Cali´s public space has undergone significant changes over the last century. What were once emblematic spaces a century ago have changed dramatically over time. With this change, it has become more difficult, in recent times, to speak about the city and reference its public spaces. One of the most profound and recent transformations has resulted from new housing projects and the way in which people inhabit these types of spaces. Since the 1980s, private residential housing units started to transform urban space in Cali, leaving a visible impact on the city´s landscape. In response to the proliferation of the gated communities, new actors proposed to increase, revitalize, and recover public space, at times without taking into account the ideas that Caleños may have about public space. Investments in the city´s mass transport system have sought to augment public space, in spite of this, the amount of public space available to each city inhabitant, after a decade of intervention, has not increased. Yet the housing offers and construction projects continue to replicate the gated communities model, particularly for middle and middle-upper class Caleños. This paper explores the perceptions that Caleños have about the availability of public space, relying on the survey Cali cómo vamos and contrasts these with those of city inhabitants who live in residential units located in neighborhoods in the southern part of the city.