Abstract
In cities across the world, public spaces are being reconfigured, and their functions are being appropriated by private areas, such as shopping malls. The aim of the present article was to analyze this problem and, more specifically, to study shopping centers as secure spaces in cities, as well as the antidemocratic and apolitical nature of such malls. The study takes a positivist approach, beginning with the existing theoretical framework and using data from case studies to generate findings. The theoretical framework is established through a review of the literature, while the case study data are drawn from an analysis of news content from digital media and from autoethnography. The findings suggest malls are perceived as safe spaces, also in addition to being home to minor offenses, as well as a number of tragic events and crimes. Additionally, a growing number of demonstrations and political acts are being staged inside malls, which are seen as symbols of consumption and the neoliberal capitalist system. The owners and managers of shopping centers condone and permit the least conflictive acts and ban and repress the remainder, on occasions with the support of state security forces. The relocation of civic life to malls reduces the use of public spaces and erodes the value of the public sphere. The article ends by proposing public actions to reverse this process.
Highlights
In cities across the world, public spaces are being reconfigured, and their functions are being appropriated by private areas, such as shopping malls
The question of public spaces is a mature subject of study and, as such, is apt for a theoretical study that seeks a deep understanding of the problems involved, as is the case of the present work
The main aim leads to the development of two specific objectives in the research and article: the analysis of shopping centers as safe places in the city, and the antidemocratic and apolitical nature of these complexes and how this diminishes the value of the public sphere in cities and their sustainability
Summary
In cities across the world, public spaces are being reconfigured, and their functions are being appropriated by private areas, such as shopping malls. The aim of the present article was to analyze this problem and, to study shopping centers as secure spaces in cities, as well as the antidemocratic and apolitical nature of such malls. The study takes a positivist approach, beginning with the existing theoretical framework and using data from case studies to generate findings. The theoretical framework is established through a review of the literature, while the case study data are drawn from an analysis of news content from digital media and from autoethnography. Public spaces in cities have undergone a process of reconfiguration, while the rise in mass private property has multiplied, as already reported in the
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