Democratic Space Research Articles

How can girls with disabilities become activists in their own lives? Creating opportunities for policy dialogue through ‘knowledge mobilisation spaces’

abstract This article examines the ways in which girls with disabilities (GWD) in the Global South, in this case Vietnam, could engage in policy dialogues by examining the ways in which these girls can raise their voices through what we describe as ‘knowledge mobilisation spaces’. Specifically, we ask: How can researchers engage in activist work with girls and young women with disabilities? What do we learn from their voices? How can knowledge mobilisation strategies such as photo exhibitions and video screenings become creative spaces for supporting their dialogues with policymakers and other stakeholders? Drawing on a research project, ‘Transforming Disability Knowledge, Research, and Activism’, we reflect on our experiences as activist researchers to discuss the opportunities and challenges of facilitating dialogues with GWD. In particular, we discuss opportunities for creating more inclusive dialogues with these girls and young women through a workshop, called “I Am A Leader Because … ”. With this approach we highlight the importance of creating spaces for GWD to become activists in their lives using their stories and the dialogues generated through these spaces. Such an approach allows for more democratic spaces and for voices to be heard in inclusive policy dialogues.

Performing a neoliberal city-regional imaginary: the case of Tampere tramway project

ABSTRACT Sub-national statecraft and scalecraft is touted as consequential antidote to the crisis of uneven development and democratic deficit. Interrogating this supposition with reference to city-regionalization in Finland, this paper explores how a neoliberal imaginary of city-regions has been institutionalized through entanglement of discursive practices of contractual planning and materiality of tramway construction in Tampere. We argue that Finland’s ‘city regionalism’ is best understood in terms of rescaling of power from local municipalities to upper tiers of governance, lubricating of entrepreneurial development projects, and shrinking of democratic spaces of political contestations. We conclude by calling for geographically sensitive theorisations of city-regionalization.

Equality as a Principle of the Networked World? An Exploratory Search for ‘Cyber-Equality’ in the Field of Internet Governance

Even though equality is a fundamental and transversal norm of international law, not much has been written about its role for cyberspace. The utopia of the 'inventors' of the internet was to create an open, transparent, and democratic space, and early proponents of cyberfeminism even believed that gender differences in general would disappear by improving technology. However, a look at the status quo suggests that cyberspace might currently be even farther away from an egalitarian ideal than the offline world. While openness, universality, and bottom-up procedures, inter alia, are widely accepted as foundational values of cyberspace and of internet governance, it seems that equality has not yet been discussed in depth, despite the apparent signs of what can be called 'cyber-inequality'. This article undertakes a first step in this direction. It critically examines cyber-equality, i.e., the status quo of equality in cyberspace, and analyses several key documents of internet governance from an equality perspective. This analysis allows for some preliminary conclusions, and to lay a foundation for future research, which will be outlined in the final section of this article. The article reveals that there is currently no consistent or comprehensive approach to addressing equality issues in internet governance and that much more research will be needed to better understand the topic and to embed equality considerations in internet governance.

Conselho Municipal de Educação e planejamento participativo: mecanismos de efetivação da gestão dos sistemas e escolas

O presente texto faz a discussão acerca do Conselho Municipal de Educação (CME) tendo o planejamento participativo como mecanismo de efetivação do Sistema Municipal de Educação do Tocantins na perspectiva da gestão democrática. Em geral, o SME é entendido como um órgão burocrático municipal, mas este pode ser um espaço de aglutinação das vontades coletivas municipais para a efetivação do SME tendo o planejamento democrático-participativo como horizonte? Este texto, que é resultado de um estudo bibliográfico-documental realizado na perspectiva crítico-dialética, busca explicitar essa tensão entre o SME como órgão burocrático de regulação e como espaço e mecanismo democrático no âmbito dos municípios, incluindo os municípios da realidade tocantinense. O estudo em pauta possibilitou fazermos uma reflexão teórica sobre o conceito, natureza e função do CME e, para além do aspecto teórico, esclareceu sua importância, assim como apontou, na gestão da educação municipal, o planejamento participativo como um importante mecanismo de materialização das políticas municipais no âmbito do SME. 
 Palavras-chave: educação municipal, institucionalização do SME do Tocantins, conselho municipal de educação, planejamento participativo.
 
 Municipal Council of Education and participatory planning: mechanisms for the effective management of systems and schools
 ABSTRACT. This text discusses the Municipal Council of Education (CME) with participatory planning as a mechanism for the effectiveness of the Municipal Education System of Tocantins from the perspective of democratic management. In general, the SME is understood as a municipal bureaucratic body, but can this be a space of agglutination of the municipal collective will for the realization of the SME having participatory-democratic planning as a horizon? This text, which is the result of a bibliographic-documental study carried out in a critical-dialectical perspective, seeks to explain this tension between the SME as a bureaucratic regulatory body and as a democratic space and mechanism within the municipalities, including the municipalities in the reality of Tocantins. The study in question allowed a theoretical reflection on the concept, nature and function of the CME and in addition to the theoretical aspect it clarified its importance, as well as pointing out participatory planning in the management of municipal education as an important mechanism for the materialization of municipal policies within the scope of the SME.
 Keywords: municipal education, institutionalization of the municipal education system of Tocantins, municipal council of education, participatory planning.
 
 Consejo Municipal de Educación y planificación participativa: mecanismos para la gestión efectiva de sistemas y escuelas
 RESUMEN. Este texto discute el Consejo Municipal de Educación (CME) con la planificación participativa como mecanismo para la realización del Sistema Educativo Municipal de Tocantins desde la perspectiva de la gestión democrática. En general, el SME se entiende como un organismo burocrático municipal, pero ¿puede ser éste un espacio de aglutinación de las voluntades colectivas municipales para la realización del SME, teniendo la planificación democrático-participativa como horizonte? Este texto, resultado de un estudio bibliográfico-documental realizado en la perspectiva crítico-dialéctica, busca explicitar esta tensión entre el SME como órgano regulador burocrático y como espacio y mecanismo democrático dentro de los municipios, incluyendo los municipios de la realidad de Tocantins. El estudio en cuestión permitió hacer una reflexión teórica sobre el concepto, la naturaleza y función del CME y, además del aspecto teórico, aclaró su importancia, así como señaló, en la gestión de la educación municipal, la planificación participativa como un importante mecanismo para la materialización de las políticas municipales en el ámbito del SME.
 Palabras clave: educación municipal, institucionalización del SME de Tocantins, consejo municipal de educación, planificación participativa.

The Public Sphere, Deweyan Democracy and Rational Discourse in Africa

The quest for a decent political order in many societies is imperative today because of the heterogeneous nature of our social existence and the complexity of our ever increasing socio-economic and political experiences. Since the public sphere is a domain of freedom exemplified by dialogical engagements, the outcome of such encounter must involve the intelligible thoughts of all discussants with the sole aim of dealing with the concerns and commanding the commitment of all to the decisions reached. In this study, it is argued that Deweyan democracy as an alternative theory of rational inquiry is relevant for engaging the present sordid condition of many Africans democratic practice and policy outcomes. As a rational procedure, it is averred that John Dewey’s emphasis on epistemic properties of democratic discourse makes the proceduralist account of democracy superfluous and exposes the weakness of the content of democratic discourse in political actions and decisions. The study also contend that given the consensual state of Dewey’s epistemic thought, Jürgen Habermas theory rather than expanding the space of epistemic democracy stifled it because of his insistence on the force of a better argument in the resolution of conflicting concerns of dialoguers. The study therefore, argues for Dewey’s democracy as an alternative mode of political order since it does not undermine the views of the citizens but gives room for the activation a certain set of attitude that can challenge prevailing opinions and accepts the views that do not embrace conventional wisdom—a procedure that is necessary for the growth and development of our democratic space.

Popular, Accessible, Inclusive: Social Media as an Ideal for Decision-making in a Democracy

Restrictions to participation attract skepticism to ordinary citizens’ capacity to be engaged in the political decision-making process in a democratic society. Social media platforms address these skepticisms by outlining features of social media that facilitate discourses, quality civic engagement, and responsibility, necessary in preserving democratic ideals and practice in society. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, including algorithms and artificial intelligence, are regarded as better media to be trusted with political decision-making as they remove constraints of bias, accessibility, discrimination, and power imbalances usually found in precarious settings like face-to-face deliberations and of political representations. Employing analysis of secondary data from peer-reviewed journals and dissertations enabled us to harvest insights needed to substantiate the arguments and conclusions made in this article. This paper demonstrates the arguments for the ubiquity of social media as an ideal for the decision-making process in a democratic space. However, the presence of impediments as provided for by the social media platforms and governments including censorship, regulation, and legitimacy must be recognized for the merit it attaches to quality deliberations through social media. Using the normative ideals of inclusivity and epistemic value of participation, social media indeed is an ideal for decision-making particularly when the conditions under which the biases are developed and explained are held. In the end, accepting social media as an ideal to decision-making in democracy should not be accepted as is, unless theorization of the role of social media and justification of its merits is made. Without such, we may fail to account for what we seek in social media to support democracy.

Venezuela: Autocratic Consolidation and Splintered Economic Liberalization

In 2020, Venezuela has gone through a process of autocratic consolidation. This consolidation has taken place amid substantial economic reforms that have allowed the government of Nicolas Maduro survive sustained international and domestic pressure. In this article, we analyze this process of autocratic consolidation. We explain how, by focusing on the establishment of an “interim-government” in 2019, the Venezuelan opposition has been unable to coordinate an inclusive strategy to successfully bring about a democratic breakthrough and instead became further divided. We address the economic transformations witnessed in the country as policies of fragmented liberalization through opaque privatizations and an uneven multi-currency system, which have resulted from a deep recession, the collapse of the oil economy and sanctions. Finally, we discuss the implications of these political and economic processes for the social fabric of the country. We highlight that despite the government’s attempts at criminalizing autonomous activism, the relative strengths of civil society allowed the survival of minimal democratic spaces that have spurred dialogue and resistance.

Transitional justice discourse in post-conflict societies in Africa: introduction

Post-conflict reconstruction has emerged as one the major issues of concern in Africa in the last three decades. Since the end of the Cold War following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many African countries embraced multiparty systems that expanded democratic spaces. With this came the claim to justice and consciousness on the need to reconstruct a new vision of the nation, a vision that is based on social cohesion. This led to calls for democratisation in a number of African countries as well as in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and, in particular, former Soviet Union countries. In Africa, the approach taken by different countries varied from elaborate transitional justice processes that involved truth commissions to national dialogue processes that called for political compromise without putting into place any formal transitional justice process. The articles in this supplementary issue on transitional justice discourse in post-conflict societies in Africa draw attention to diverse contextual issues on post-conflict reconstruction in the continent. These articles bring together divergent discourses, experiences, theorisations, and interpretations of transitional processes while calling for a new way of assessing truth-telling processes within the purview of legal frameworks, gender and cultural sensitivities, peace sustainability, and conflict resolution strategies in Africa. The articles open up debate on the extent to which transitional justice processes contribute to peace and sustainability in Africa, and what could be done to improve this important post-conflict reconstruction initiative.

DESIGN ESTRATÉGICO, COMMUNITY CENTERED DESIGN E GESTÃO POR MANDALAS: UMA PROPOSTA TEÓRICO-METODOLÓGICA PARA PROCESSOS DE CODESIGN

Este artigo propõe uma articulação teórico-metodológica para processos de design que buscam potencializar a participação de pessoas afetadas pelo projeto. Para isso, realiza um resgate teórico do Design Estratégico, do Community Centered Design e da Gestão por Mandalas, e descreve como tais insumos foram utilizados em um processo de codesign realizado para uma pesquisa de Mestrado voltada à inovação social no âmbito das associações de pessoas envolvidas com doenças raras. Por fim, são apresentados tanto resultados empíricos quanto reflexões teóricas que reforçam a necessidade de alinhar o tema da participação em processos de design a metodologias e ferramentas comprometidas com a autonomia dos sujeitos e com a construção de ambientes democráticos.

Kamusal Alanda Sanat ve Sanat Eserleri

İnsanın yaşadığı evreni yaratıcı bir bakış ile algılama ve tanımlama çabasının odak noktasında yer alan sanatsal eylemler, aynı zamanda bilgi alışverişine dayalı toplumsal bir iletişim ve sosyal bütünleşme alanı olarak toplumların kültürel gelişimlerini beslemektedir. Bu bağlamda çalışma, sanatın eserler aracılığıyla kamusal alanlar ve mekanlarda yer alması, yaygınlaşması ve alımlayıcı ile etkileşim içinde olması ile ortaya çıkan olumlu kültürel dönüşümün etkilerini orataya çıkarmayı hedeflemektedir. 21. yüzyıl ile kentsel gelişimin ivme kazanması, çağdaş düşün ve sanat biçimlerinin kamusal alanlarda toplumla buluşturulması ve izleyicisi ile etkileşime geçmesi toplumun gelişimi açısından önemli dinamikler oluşturmaktadır. Sanatın kitlelerle buluşturulması, sanatın toplumsal alanda yaygınlaştırılmasına katkı sağlamakta, bu katkı kent dokusunda gözlemlenen olumlu dönüşümler ile sosyal ilişkilerin yapısının iyileşmesinde ortaya çıkmaktadır. Sanatsal etkinlikler, sanatsal kaygıların ve aktarılan düşüncenin yanı sıra birey üzerindeki etkisi ve oynadığı rol bakımından da önemlidir. Bireyler bu etkileşim sürecine dahil olmaktadırlar. Kamusal sanat, kamusal diyaloğu ve farkındalığı artırmakta ayrıca demokratik bir paylaşım alanı yaratmaktadır. Bu kapsamda kentsel gelişim ivmesinde çağdaş düşün ve sanat biçimlerinin toplu kullanım mekanlarında toplumla buluşturulması çağsal dönüşümün eşiğinde büyük önem taşımaktadır. Ekonomik ve politik merkezler olma hedefini çizen yeni kentsel politikalar, nüfusun kentsel alanlarda yoğunlaşmasına neden olduğu gibi, kentlerin sanat etkinliklerine olan ilgisini artırmaktadır. Sanatsal etkinlikler, ulusal alanda olduğu kadar uluslararası arenada kente politik ve kültürel bir statü kazandırmaktadır.

Politik pemberdayaan kelompok tani sawit swadaya di Kampung Sialang Palas, kecamatan Lubuk Dalam, Siak

This service activity is set in the context of Sialang Palas Village, Lubuk Dalam District, Siak Regency. This area consists of 90% of oil palm plantations but land-use patterns, information and communication technology, decreased purchasing power of farmers, low nutritional status of farmer households. Meanwhile, the influence of local leadership is getting weaker, and Gapoktan institutions are not functioning. In this condition, there was a change in the political behavior of peasants which was initially critical, dynamic, and weakened, eroded by the narrower structure of the local democratic space, and the impact of changes in the national political economy. Therefore, farmer participation in group management needs to be increased. This activity aims to increase the capacity of independent smallholders in managing farmer groups and making decisions through the application of "my palm oil:" and a model of political empowerment. This activity was carried out in Sialang Palas Village, Lubuk Dalam, Siak Regency, and this service took the theme "Community Empowerment in the New-Normal Era". The problem is how to increase the capacity of poktan farmers in decision making and group management in Sialang Palas? The methods used are: First, preparation and socialization of the program to Karya Bersama farmer groups in Sialang Palas Village. Second, conducting lectures and discussing materials (1) leadership; (2) group management; (3) decision-making process; (4) strategic issues; (5) processing local potential (3) discussing the model of "empowerment politics" and issues of development and governance in Lubuk Dalam; (6) Village Assistance and Assistance. The results of the community service activities include: First, published scientific articles. Second, video activities and knowledge about group decision making. Third, knowledge and skills in processing palm oil waste and knowledge about family nutrition.

Contending Views and Power Struggle within Islam: The Clash of Religious Discourse and Citizenship in Contemporary Indonesia

In the last 20 years, the ‘conservative turn’ toward overtly Islamic identity in Indonesia paved the way for raising political Islamism. This political Islamism aspires to the continuing Islamization, implementation of sharia, and even the establishment of a global caliphate. Emerging Islamist forces such as Front Pembela Islam, Jemaah Tarbiyah, and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia along with the conservative turn, therefore, pose the normative-political challenges to both republican and liberal notions of citizenship. This paper deals with the question of religion and citizenship under the democratic space in contemporary Indonesia. By examining three variants of Islamic citizenship, religion vigilant, pragmatic, and rejectionist citizenship, this paper tries to address the following question: to what extent Islamism challenges the discourse of citizenship in contemporary Indonesia? We argue that while Islamism apparently rises and gains followers, the state and mainstream Muslim organizations (Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah), and their emphasis on Pancasila and commitment to NKRI successfully manage to reconcile Islam and citizenship under democratic space.

Aventuras estudantis no CEFD: sonhos, trajetórias e desencantos no diretório acadêmico

A memória é uma das maiores riquezas que podemos compartilhar. No momento em que o CEFD comemora 50 anos consideramos importante registrar nosso reconhecimento a esta instituição. O objetivo principal deste artigo é contribuir com o registro histórico do CEFD, descrevendo a perspectiva estudantil a partir das experiências de atuação no Diretório Acadêmico (DACEFD) nos anos de 1992 a 1994. Os relatos apresentam as ações realizadas seguidos de reflexões correlatas, e estão pautados na memória pessoal das autoras bem como em documentos de acervo pessoal. A defesa da universidade pública tem sido uma luta constante, renovada a cada geração, o que permite que ainda existam oportunidades de acesso ao ensino público e de qualidade. A formação política durante a graduação acompanha e fortalece a formação acadêmica que ultrapassa o âmbito das disciplinas curriculares, e se concretiza também pela oportunidade da diferença, do diálogo, da experiência do espaço público e democrático.

Mauritius’ Competitive Party Politics and Social Democratic Welfare Outcomes after Independence

Mauritius has cast herself as an outlier on the African political landscape, having hosted peaceful, free and fair elections since the advent of independence in 1968 without fail. The island state of Mauritius, which lies over 2000km off the coast of East Africa, boasts a multiplicity of political parties which have added to the vibrancy of political culture in that country. Election season tends to be a hotly contested period in which various political parties, by virtue of their claims as custodians of collective and national centre left interests, jostle one another for dominance under the banner of pro-poor development. This essay considers Mauritius’ status as a social democratic welfare state by drawing the relation between the country’s competitive political culture and development successes against the backdrop of its democratic election experiences from 1968 to 2005. While election outcomes elsewhere on the continent tend to reflect the maturity of democratic spaces in which political spaces exist, in Mauritius they continue to serve as a litmus test to ascertain the level of commitment to the social cause by the ruling incumbents and aspirants alike.

The English Language in India: From Racial-Colonial to Democratic

In India and the other countries of the global south, a non-native variety of English Language has been serving the interest of the socio-cultural needs. Such a variety suits to the interest of the young learners since they have already mastered the tools of communication from outside the class room. Even the seasoned writers and columnists have developed a tendency to experiment further and develop suitable material for language teaching which was previously dependent on prescriptive grammar and lexical structures. This calls for an investigation into the nature of a shift within the very core of this language in India. This Paper tries to draw a graph on the course of this shift by examining data collected from mass media and situate this fresh use of language at a democratic space unlike the monolith of language as practiced in past. The news entries are trendy and user friendly, contain morphological and syntactic novelty that provides suitable methods to support pedagogy. It is fascinating to see how such data holds a promise of huge curricular implications providing a pragmatic road map for the teaching of theory, literature, and English language in India rather than development of mere skills as done in past.

If this is not an Urban Crises, what is?

The very purpose of Mumbai city must be questioned today as the city seems on a transformation spree again. With lakhs of migrants fleeing the city amidst the Covid-19 crises, what would the place be for the urban poor in the city in such a scenario? As cities evolve, their purpose changes and adapt to differing functions. The city in the process of evolution also carries relics of their bygone decades, as a part of their burden and identity, sometimes redundant, but reminders of their implicit purpose, holding vital clues to the origins of the spaces and its basis for existence. These issues lead to the same question — what is the purpose of a city? To create a city is far easier. The task is to keep an existing city going with inclusive and democratic spaces for all its residents. This requires imagination and political will. Determining the nature and future of an ever transforming urban phenomenon called Mumbai is a choice — one that rests with its people.

ПРОБЛЕМИ У ПРАКТИЧНОМУ ФУНКЦІОНУВАННІ ПОЛІТИЧНОГО РИНКУ СУСПІЛЬНОГО ВИБОРУ: ПОГЛЯД ЗАХІДНИХ ПОЛІТОЛОГІЧНИХ ШКІЛ

The article discusses the approaches of political market theories to the functioning of public administration, namely different views on the theory. The complex nature of the defined research goals and objectives presupposes the application of an integrated methodological approach based on modern systemic and research problems related to the functioning of modern party systems and political development. This offers a holistic view of the theory in the unity of conceptual and applied aspects. The leading method of research is the method of system analysis. The methodological principle presented in all sections of this article is the principle of dialectics, which made it possible to study the views of theorists, taking into account their internal contradictions and variability. It is important to note that in the sections devoted to the issues of political struggle, elements of structural and functional analysis are used. One of the principles of the research methodology is the provisions of the political realism theory, which indicate that the main subject of the system of international relations is the nation-state. The method of comparative analysis is useful for determining the common and special in political views. The main task of the social choice theory is to normatively solve such problems of democracy as the tyranny of the majority, the massification of culture and morals, inefficient government, demagoguery and the empty space of democracy (with people in office, most of which is a variable mass used to represent citizens in general), but by no means create an explanation for the whole spectrum of political life. The theory of social choice shows a possible option for the existence of a political system – however, on the other hand.

Alternative spaces of cafes of Western Ukrainian cities in the end of the XXth century in the context of civilizational preferences

The article analyzes the influence of informal spaces of the end of the XX century on the formation of the cultural environment of the cities of Western Ukraine, shows the importance of cult cafes as alternative spaces where informal art communities were gathered and leadership groups of the 90s were formed. It clarifies the role of the object in the interdisciplinary relations of cultural discourse of the XXI century invoking the analysis of factual material, interviews with participants in the processes, scientific discussion, and published texts. The author looks at the subject of research as reflection originating from the present. The article determines that alternative spaces declare the values of "living" through the connection of a man with the place and through places with spaces. The culture of cafés being traditional for the region has been reflected in numerous narratives. For the generations of the 70s- 90s of the 20th century, cafés became the most democratic space playing the role of a communicator, replacing modern media. The author notes the gradual movement of these locations from urban centers or intersections of creative intelligentsia in the 80s to remote or even peripheral areas of cities in the 90s, which was associated with changes in infrastructure, commercialization, new tastes and aesthetic preferences. The cafés of the 90s generation played the role of clubs for countercultural communities, whose activities opposed not only the system, but also the aesthetic paradigm.

Reclaiming the city one plot at a time? DIY garden projects, radical democracy, and the politics of spatial appropriation

Unsanctioned guerrilla gardens, long a feature of North American cities, are frequently planted as radical challenge to conventional urban land use. Over the past decade, a number of community-led garden projects – projets citoyens – have appeared on sidewalks and in vacant lots, and alleys of Montreal, Quebec’s inner-core neighborhoods under the banner of “appropriating” or “reclaiming” urban space. In this article, we examine the rise of these DIY (do-it-yourself) garden projects and the extent to which they have been institutionalized via municipal agencies and NGOs. We find the distinction between institutionalized and guerrilla projects to be quite blurry, and ask whether such spaces – and the social relations forged within and between them – are able to effectively challenge hegemonic abstract space (as conceived by Lefebvre) and contribute to a radical democratic urban politics (as conceived by Rancière). We conclude that the power of these projects to transform capitalist urban space and challenge the dominant socio-spatial order is limited. We argue, however, that their transformative potential lies instead in their functioning as spaces of political subject formation, where participants collaboratively articulate counter-hegemonic imaginaries and master the skills of collective autogestion – albeit only for a small and relatively homogenous group of Montrealers. Critical attention to absent and silenced voices and self-reflexive awareness of historical and contemporary processes of exclusion and displacement are crucial in order for these projects to become truly radical democratic spaces.

Requalification of Housing Suburbs: Urban Project for Covilhã

This article has a graphic and illustrative sketch of the urban requalification project for the suburban neighbourhood of Covelo, in the surroundings of Covilhã, in the interior of Portugal near to the border with Spain. It was carried out for a subject of Urban Planning of the University of Beira Interior during the mobility program with Brazilian universities. It is a low-density residential suburb of single-houses typology. The methodology applied in a first phase includes an analytical research of the area features, supported by field visits, sketch maps and municipal documents that regulate the processes of edification, urbanization and urban requalification. The second phase included the preparation of visual maps that allowed the construction of a set of conditions, weaknesses and potentialities of the area, considering its characteristics and morphological elements. In the third phase, an urban diagnosis was elaborated showing the failures of integration of this suburban neighbourhood at the urban network of Covilhã, with a massive presence of urban voids, low quality and scarcity of public spaces, undersized streets structure and lack of commercial attractiveness. In the fourth phase, the urban design solution aimed to create democratic spaces for meeting and leisure, based on concepts such as permeability, accessibility, readability, diversity, flexibility, identity and ownership of the local community, residents and visitors. The requalification project aims to clarify the public and private realms of the spaces and the creation of an environment where everyone can experience the individual and the collective within the same neighbourhood. The propose is a long-term development and should be considered in phases as the community grow. It aims to allow the neighbourhood expansion, restructuring the street network and, after that, the following steps like implantation of a small business centre. It is believed that the result is an attractive proposal for the local and that, through the urban design project, citizens will be invited to take ownership of the new public area while creating a more healthy community, with a sense of collective responsibility for its maintenance.