Perceptions about cultural heritage and recreational sites among older adults in Bahia Blanca, Argentina

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that was done among older adults in the city of Bahia Blanca, Argentina regarding their awareness and use of cultural heritage and commercial recreational sites. Design/methodology/approach: This exploratory study among this historically understudied segment of the population used interviews and historical images to analyze their perceptions about such spaces and to establish a link between those perceptions and their civic identity. Findings: The study found that appreciation of local cultural heritage sites was considerably lower than appreciation of commercial recreational areas and suggests possible interventions to enhance the use and appreciation of cultural heritage sites. Social implications: This paper about Bahia Blanca derives its relevance from venturing into an analysis of the opinions about such sites among an age segment, the elderly, that has been poorly addressed in other studies, in particular in the Latin American context. The study reported here generated firsthand information that may serve public servants in making decisions in the context of locally developed cultural policies and presents a methodological model and data collection and analysis techniques that may be of interest for development elsewhere. Originality/value: In Argentina there is a lack of research studies in the “older adults” age bracket. The contribution of this manuscript lies in creating a connectivity among concepts such as recreation/leisure, heritage and lived space, by using new contributions in the geography of leisure that are associated with the geography of everyday life. The concepts are integrated in the study of subjective spaces of individuals.