THE NEW (PUBLIC) SPACE: ON CITIES, SHOPPING CENTERS, POLITICAL DEMONSTRATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC USES

Miguel Silva Graça

Miguel Silva Graça Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment, University of Coimbra, Coimbra [PT]

Resumo

Between the romanticized version of a Greek Agora and the intense contemporary shopping centers there isn’t probably a disparity as considerable as we can imagine, since both can be easily mistaken with the ancient markets and the public squares of today. Before, as now, there is a clear separation between the production of discourse and the experience of the symbolic spaces of the city.

It is a fact that shopping centers are, in general, seen and used by people as effective "public spaces" of the contemporary city.

As evidence of this, is the way we see emerge today phenomena that were hardly visible but in public spaces, such as urban tribes, sport celebrations, political demonstrations and strikes, or even deviant events: suicides committed within their areas. Traces that, taken together, make us consider on the true nature of these heterotopic places.

Therefore, if today the urban daily life of Europe's inhabitants is undoubtedly both linked to the use of public spaces and shopping centers, it's not surprising that political demonstrations are nowadays equally visible in city squares and shopping center plazas, where these are also increasingly common.

For example, in Portugal, we have observed since 2007, a systematic use of shopping centers as an arena of political protests, generally against precarious labor conditions; under this thread, this paper will try precisely to map these and other “public” practices that take place at a wide range of privately owned collective spaces in Europe.

Unquestionably, this "quasi"-public condition of contemporary shopping centers will enhance the doubt on what role these retail typologies may yet take part in the construction of the European city, giving a completely new meaning to the well-known Jordi Borja and Zaida Muxí's assertion that "public space (...) is [the place] where society makes itself visible" (Borja, Muxi; 2003:15). By the fact that if we still don't know what are they turning into; we have, however, a strong suspicion: that, in a near future, these will be more "public" than "shopping" places.

Shopping centers; privately owned collective spaces; political demonstrations; Portugal; Europe.

Biografia Autor

Miguel Silva Graça, Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment, University of Coimbra, Coimbra [PT]

Miguel Silva Graça, Architect. PhD in Urban Planning (2004-2011), by Universidad de Valladolid, Spain. Degree in Architecture (1995-2001), by Faculdade de Arquitectura - Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Portugal. Senior Researcher at the Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment - Universidade de Coimbra (CITTA-UC), since 2011. Advisor on Public Participation and Participatory Budgeting for the Lisbon City Council, since 2018. High Technician of the High Commission for Migrations, since 2017. Advisor on Housing and Social Rights for the Lisbon City Council, from 2007 to 2017. Author of several books, chapters of books and scientific articles, published in Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Great Britain, U.S.A., Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Turkey and Philippines.

Arquitecto. Doutorado em Urbanismo e Ordenamento do Território (2004-2011), pela Universidad de Valladolid, Espanha. Licenciado em Arquitectura (1995-2001), pela Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Portugal. Investigador do Centro de Investigação do Território, Transportes e Ambiente da Universidade de Coimbra (CITTA– UC), desde 2011. Assessor para as áreas da Participação Pública e Orçamento Participativo da Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, desde 2018. Técnico Superior do Alto Comissariado para as Migrações, desde 2017. Assessor para as áreas da Habitação e Direitos Sociais da Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, entre 2007 e 2017. Autor de diversas publicações e artigos, publicados em Portugal, Espanha, França, Bélgica, Grã-Bretanha, E.U.A, Grécia, Chipre, Albania, Turquia e Filipinas.