The perception of spatial changes. The case of Sant Cugat del Vallès

Abstract

The study of the perception of the spatial changes that have taken place in the town of Sant Cugat del Vallès since the turn of the century made possible the reconstruction of the evolution of its landscape conceived as habitat. The method of personal interviews was applied in this study and it is to this that the first part of the article is devoted. A synthesis of the most significant features in the evolution of Sant Cugat's landscape is followed by an account of how its inhabitants perceived the successive changes in the landscape. The analysis of these perceptions lead to the formulation of the hypothesis that any study concerning people's link with their environment must take into account the social dimension of each individual; otherwise the deep-rooted causes of people's attitudes towards their environment cannot be satisfactorily explained.