Geographies of Exclusion: Open Public Space and Senior Citizens. “Las Arboledas” Park in San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico

Abstract

This article offers a comparative analysis of the spatial attributes of the parks in an area where the demographic segment of study is concentrated in the municipality of San Nicolás de los Garza, in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. The purpose is to identify the open public spaces of the polygon in question, to establish the attributes of the architectural-urban program, and to rank and typify these spaces according to activities and dimensions. This identification allows us to justify the selection of the large park "Las Arboledas" as a case study. The article characterizes the users of the park according to age segments, and it relates the above-mentioned aspects of the park to the assistance and use of that open public space. The objectives of the article determine our use of various quantitative and qualitative methodological tools, such as observation processes, surveys, and geographical information analysis. This methodology allows us to consider different geographical scales for the review and assessment of the study, whose findings explain whether there is a relationship between age and the use of open
public space or not.

The theoretical background of our study is that of urban studies based on geography of aging, environmental gerontology, anthropology, segregation, and social exclusion. These theoretical references allow us to identify differentiated guidelines of social, anthropological, and dimensional characterizations of the users of open public space. Finally, we offer a reflection on the attributes and functions that require the attention of space designers, so they can produce integral and inclusive spaces that enable channels of communication and interaction to strengthen the structure of the community. The production of such spaces can promote interactions that generate social ties and encourage individual and collective recognition, that is, places where the right to the city is actualized.