Abstract

The article explores how the built environment influences activities in public spaces from the perspectives of people living in deprived neighbourhoods of Santiago de Chile. It seeks to contribute to studies that suggest that the built environment is highly symbolic, collaborate with the growing number of works that are addressing the everyday lives of vulnerable groups, and enrich Latin American literature about public spaces. The article reports a qualitative and quantitative analysis of forty-two interviews with residents of deprived neighbourhoods in Santiago in which they were invited to converse about the characteristics of public spaces and the activities that take place in them. The results suggest that housing proximity and the quality of public spaces influence social, recreational, and physical activities. Contestation activities are related to the distance that separates people's houses and the public space. Meanwhile, illicit activities feature diverse patterns and, according to the participants, tend to occupy the public space in low-income neighbourhoods. The findings also suggest that the precariousness of the houses is considered as a factor that contributes to the vitality of the streets; the quality of the public space is seen as a form of inequality, whereas the State is considered as an absent agent that has little interest in the wellbeing of those who live in the most deprived areas of the city.