Based on social research carried out in capital cities of Colombia and Venezuela, the analysis and effects of young people’s relations with urban areas represented in shopping centres and public squares are presented. In addition to setting out the methodological processes, results and common points, an analysis is made of the changes that cultural dynamics have brought about as a result of the global and hegemonic increase. This confirms the relationship between young people, urban spaces and their cultural practices. There is an invitation to propose alternatives in which malls give space to other cultural expressions and motivate young people to demand public policies for them and cultural goods and services from local and regional leaders, but above all to activate the democratisation project proposed by Canclini et al (2010). The investigations of Bermudez (2010) in Maracaibo-Venezuela and Bohórquez, López and Suárez (2014) in Bucaramanga-Colombia served as a basis for this reflection.