Santiago de Chile is a metropolitan city with high residential mobility. This mobility is related to a generalized sociopolitical and cultural centralism developed in the country, which generates an inequality between life in the capital city and other states. In the country, one of the significant challenges cities have encountered is their constant growth. This growth generates a series of country-wide issues, such as the increase of insecurity, the need for greater citizen participation, and the incentive to support the preservation of communities’ traditions.

In the last decades, citizens of Santiago de Chile have experienced a lack of belonging to their residential neighborhoods. This lack of belonging is shown by the absence of a sense of attachment to the land and the respective community. Without housing continuity, neighborhood relations, and social ties among residents face development difficulties. In this context, it is challenging to consolidate communities in neighborhoods, which is a fundamental aspect of the sustainable development of a city. Public space represents a common element for different human groups. These spaces can contribute to the satisfaction of needs, such as a sense of belonging and community consolidation. Commonly, public spaces are highly valued due to their recreational and leisure opportunities. The relationship between urban space and sociocultural aspects of its inhabitants determines the degree of belonging to the neighborhood.

The research focuses on residents’ sense of belonging in the Santiago Poniente neighborhood. The main objective is to identify and define the elements within the public space that embody a sense of belonging. Methodological surveys were used, as well as observations through drawings and the Neighborhood’s Plan Method. It has been able to determine specific tangible patterns in the place with which residents identify themselves and value as fundamental for their life in the neighborhood.