The PhD seeks to evaluate the social effects of urban regeneration policies on historic public spaces and their urban life. For a social science approach, the research analyses the impact of urban policies on social uses of public spaces, using the case study of Historic Centre of Mexico City (hereafter referred to as historic centre) and Alameda Central (the oldest public park in continental Americas, planned in 1592). This research is in dialogue with three main types of academic literature: urban regeneration, urban heritage and public space in the light of place attachment and social exclusion.