Transformation processes in informal produced public spaces

Abstract

People develop their built environments through their own ideas, initiatives and economic possibilities. Additionally, this endeavour follows local self-help and self-management processes, which are crucial in the physical and social dynamics of cities, especially in Latin America. These results of urbanisation and construction may appear random and chaotic but there is often an underlying logic to the emergence and growth of forms of informality. Moreover, a temporal dimension, incrementalism and change are integral components of this system. As part of a wider study on spatial types of the occupations made by people in the public space, the objective of this work is to examine the processes of transformation within these spaces. Drawing on empirical evidence from Piura (Peru), this study addresses a range of possible forms of the informal production of space. The methods used are satellite imagery, direct observations, photographic studies and urban cartography. As a result, the work reveals that a space is never complete but is in constant flux, which often involves three primary types of change. Therefore, this study’s findings produce a better explanation of these processes, which challenge the prevailing model of urban development, planning and place creation.