Abstract

This work is the result of an undergraduate thesis carried out at the School of Architecture of the University of Bio-Bio. It constitutes a first approach towards the visual imagery that resides in the university's students with respect to the university campus and their immediate surroundings. It is part of a set of efforts made by the Taller de Barrios pedagogical initiative over the last 5 years aimed at installing the idea of University Neighborhood in the imagination of the university community as well as in the neighborhood surrounding the campus. This, in direct response to the indifference with which the campus has developed throughout its history. The methodology is hybrid. We use mental maps and semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that attachment to the neighborhood is low and confirm that the back area of the campus, geographically and landscape wise the most relevant, does not figure in the student's imagery.