| Summary: | Public space is in an integral part of the cultural richness of cities, and an essential element in the functioning of a demo-cratic society. Made up of the networks of streets, sidewalks, parks and plazas, public space is what makes urban centers living entities. Though its importance is consistently recog-nized around the world, public space in Latin America has held a special role in society. In the context of Colombia, the role of public space has been shaped not only by its function as a gathering space for citizens, but it has been marked by decades of armed conflict. It was in this context in Colom-bia that the construction of major shopping malls emerged, becoming an increasingly important part of the commercial sector of Colombian cities, and, according to some authors, providing an alternative ‘public’ space in which citizens could gather. This study, through a review of the literature and a survey, summarizes some of the changes that have occurred in the urban public realm of Bogotá in the past decades, and hypothesizes the role that major commercial centers are playing in the daily lives of the city’s residents. El espacio público es una parte integral de la riqueza cultural de las ciudades y un elemento esencial en el funcionamien-to de una sociedad democrática. Compuesto de las redes de calles, andenes, parques y plazas, el espacio público es lo que hace de los centros urbanos entidades vivas. Su im-portancia es reconocida alrededor del mundo y en América Latina, el espacio público ha tenido un papel especial en la sociedad. En el contexto de Colombia, el espacio público cumple su función como espacio para reuniones entre ciu-dadanos, pero además ha estado marcado por décadas de violencia e inseguridad. Es dentro de este contexto que la construcción de centros comerciales emergió, creciendo en importancia el sector comercial de las ciudades colom-bianas, y proveyendo espacios como alternativas al espacio público abierto. Este estudio, sintetiza la relación de los cen-tros comerciales con otros ...
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