Barrios and the Hispanic American city: Cultural value and social representation

Abstract

This paper explores the historical development of barrios in Hispanic American colonial cities. Emphasis is placed on the physical, social and functional aspects that made the barrios a unique place of work, culture and residence. Over time the barrio shifted in location from the edge to the middle of the colonial city. Factors contributing to the decline of the barrio as a neighbourhood design type include new forms of suburban development, modernization of urban codes and regulations, transformation of city scale, and the change in work and residence locations. The paper concludes with an analysis of what possible contemporary efforts might recreate the barrio as a placemaking element and a cultural enclave.