VIVAS G., Fabiola. Memorias ambientales en un grupo de jóvenes universitarios. []. , 10. ISSN 1870-350X.

"Environmental memories" (Cooper 1992) of 50 university students were examined, using the qualitative perspective, to understand the meaning of public space in this group. Notion of place, in a socio-cultural perspective, concepts of urban social identity and urban symbolic spaces (Valera, 1996, 1999; Pol, 1999) were used to interpret results. More than mere "spaces", subjects evoked settings of their childhood and youth social life as "places". These places corresponded mainly to traditional, and some contemporary and natural public spaces. They highlighted in the first group, urban symbolic spaces. These places were saturated of functional, motivational and evaluative meanings mainly. The direct interaction with the place facilitated the configuration of affection bonds with these settings to give rise to the attachment phenomenon. Vestiges of a social life developed in natural, or traditional public spaces, within a sociocultural public realm favored the construction of an apparently healthful social life.

: Environmental Meaning and Symbolism; Public Space; Environmental Memories.