The dissertation on Nereu Ramos Square was written as a result of extensive research during a Master’s program in History, Architecture and Culture of Cities, at Federal University of Santa Catarina, in Brazil. It concerns public spaces in urban centers and how they transform through time, also changing the way their users appropriate physical spaces. To discuss the issue, a case study about Nereu Ramos Square, located in Joinville, was carried out. As a central square originating from the formation of the first colony of European immigrants established on the spot, its history parallels the history of formation of the central region of the city, which is briefly explained in the text. The Square suffered some transformations throughout its existence, and these are narrated through a division into three periods in which not only transformations in the square physical space are dealt with, but also the transformations regarding the way people appropriate its space are discussed. In a second moment, Nereu Ramos Square is described in its current form, regarding its insertion into the urban mesh, its space configuration, its users and the events that occur daily or sporadically. Through the historical and documental research, innumerous interviews, field observations and the creation of drawings and maps, the history of the Square and the habits of its users are told and analyzed, resulting in a reflection on the relation between history, space transformations and the use of space by people. Lastly, after the analysis of all data collected, this text is closed with some inferences of trends regarding the future of the study object, both in terms of its design and the events and users it hosts.