Social practices and gender in a historic public space: the Alameda in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)

Abstract

This article analyses social practices in the Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena, a redeveloped historical public space in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Through a qualitative methodology, based on direct observation and interviews, different uses and activities are recorded. The results indicate a highly frequented public space, mainly by male users. This paper presents significant evidence of the relationship between gender and age related to the differentiated appropriation of the boulevard by men and women. Thus, specific groups, such as adults and young, are present during different times, making distinctive appropriations of the same place. While the elderly show a gendered attendance as male seniors are found to constitute a clear majority during weekday mornings whereas women from this age category are underrepresented.

Keywords:

• Santa Cruz de Tenerife
• public space
• gender
• age
• Alameda
• uses

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the anonymous referees for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this article. This study is part of the Research Project titled ‘City and quality of life. The social use of open public space in Spanish cities.’ (CSO 2010-19007) funded by the National R&D&i Plan of the Ministry for Science and Innovation.

Notes

1. The notion of well-being is understood here as that related to the socio-territorial conditions of the urban areas combined with individuals ‘subjective feelings. Regarding public spaces, it takes into account their suitability for social encounters, as much of the literature stresses.

2. Within the city, the core district stands out for its high aging level. The higher number of elderly women over old men is very clear, and it is a common feature in aged populations because of women's higher life expectancy (Delgado Acosta and Calero Martín 2012).