Recovery and Refunctionalization of Railroad Assets along the Development of Public Spaces. The Case of Gran Rosario, Argentina.

Abstract

Like in most parts of the world, in Argentina railroad is a key factor in the transformation of territories. However, new technologies, productive-economic changes and political difficulties result in the deterioration of railroad systems rendering them obsolete. Notwithstanding, particularly since the last decades of the 20th century, several refunctionalization strategies have been put in place, along with the development of new public spaces. In order to reflect on these urban recovery interventions, we analyzed four case studies in the city of Rosario and its metropolitan area, in Argentina. The critical analysis makes a contribution to the knowledge on the role of railroad heritage as an active resource of urban-territorial transformation through new collective appropriations by society.