The appropriation of space: A theoretical proposal for understanding links between people and places

Abstract

The links between people and places have been explained from several points of view in social science literature. Place-attachment, place-identity, social urban identity, and symbolic urban space are some of the main concepts used to describe the interaction between people and their environments. A dialectical approach to the appropriation of space may be able to address some of these concepts in a more comprehensive way. Besides its impact within the scientific community, the approach is useful in applied questions such as the social construction of public space, civic responsibility, citizenship, and economic, social, and environmental sustainability, and contributes theoretical and empirical elements for fairer and more effective methods of social interaction in accordance with new social demands.