Identificación y valoración de los espacios abiertos «b»: plazas en el centro histórico de la ciudad de Loja

Abstract

Generally speaking, when one speaks of landscape one always thinks of the landscape pictures produced by painters of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The landscape at present is understood as any open space, whether natural or cultural, that is, created by man. The landscape can be one that is observed at a distance, or the external environment in which everyday life develops. It results from the interaction between society and the environment in which it unfolds; If the former changes, the latter changes. Moreover, the way the landscape has been conceptualized and explained through the passage of time is very important; The different conceptions of the landscape constitute a further proof of the subjectivity of the perception and influence of cultures and epochs. As part of the artificial and cultural landscape are open spaces for public use, located in the urban area of ​​a city: squares, parks, gardens, ridges, roundabouts, cemeteries, recreational and sports centers; And urban and peri-urban forests. In the past, squares were considered indispensable elements in the construction of cities; In them developed the greater part of public life. They were centers of socialization, places of encounter between man and nature, spaces for trade and large-scale lobbies. In our city, these spaces have now lost their social, historical and ideological value.