In Colombia, informal settlements are a pressing planning issue, mostly due to the lack of infrastructure, public transportation, public services and public realm. However, in an effort to improve life-quality and reduce segregation from formal areas, governments have decided to intervene on slums through a wide range of strategies. The most successful one has been the so-called ‘social urbanism’ strategy, in which authorities designed and planned a major transport infrastructure project and that is linked to a comprehensive intervention that incorporates new social infrastructure and public spaces. Nevertheless, in the process of delivering new public realm, policy-makers’ objectives and community aspirations may differ, leading to a disconnection between top-down policies and traditions, cultural rules, and social values. As a result, activities carried out on open spaces vary from that were expected to take place initially. This paper shows the impact that the gap between top-down policies and bottom-up practices have on the everyday use of public spaces. Moreover, it recommends broadening the scope when evaluating ‘social urbanism’ projects and improving participatory processes in order to design spaces that fulfill local needs.