Co-producing the Public: (Un)Learning Public Space in the Global South
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26439/limaq2026.n017.8569Abstract
According to sociologist Jürgen Habermas (1992), the term public encompasses all dimensions of human existence that carry shared relevance and are therefore subject to processes of social negotiation and regulation. From this perspective, public space emerges as a setting for meaningful encounters, the negotiation of interests, and the management of conflict. Ever since Henri Lefebvre (1968) called for a collective struggle for the city and its public spaces, the topic has remained central both to urban planning practice and to scholarly debate—not only in the Global North, but also across the Global South. In this context, the public remains a concept in the making, shaped by histories of colonial domination, repression, and political conflict. Public spaces, in turn, have played a crucial role as sites of resistance, negotiation, and social transformation.
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References
Habermas, J. (1994). Historia y crítica de la opinión pública. La transformación estructural de la vida pública. Gustavo Gili.
Lefebvre, H. (1969). El derecho a la ciudad (J. González-Pueyo, Trad.). Península.
McFarlane, C. (2011). Learning the city: Knowledge and translocal assemblage. Wiley-Blackwell.
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