The Public Space of Urban Food Markets Between Historical Permanences and Contemporary Manifestations: The Plazas Distritales de Mercado Case Study in Bogotá (Colombia)

Food markets are spaces of exchange and relationship, functional to the sale, provision and consumption of fresh food, where traditions and new habits manifest themselves and overlap seamlessly. They are urban spaces of primary importance, historically present in cities as a fixed element but at the same time in constant change, capable therefore to reflect and describe their complex dynamics of transformation, not only physical but also and above all social, economic and cultural. The Plazas Districtales de Mercado of Bogotá, food markets with public management distributed in different districts, describe a unique component of the character and history of the Colombian capital. The paper aims to observe this consolidated infrastructure in a systemic way, with the objective of understanding its value as a common heritage and its role in the construction, transformation and qualification of public space and urban fabric.