Public Space is a platform developed to give visibility, connect and coordinate the different initiatives led by citizens who are occupying, appropriating and transforming public spaces in Brasilia. The objective is 1) to show how residents of Brasilia are reimagining their city and what their needs and desires are; 2) to inform and unite citizens; 3) to expand events and occupations of public space, and 4) to serve as a basis for a more inclusive and democratic urban planning.

It is an attempt to describe, analyze and disseminate initiatives started by citizens, in order to foster imagination, creativity, collective experiments and criticism in contemporary cities such as Brasilia. It is not about attacking Brasília or the failures of modernist planning - in fact, the very characteristics of the city have originated unique behaviors and creativity. It is about questioning the rigidness of policy and government that don't consider desires and, more importantly, needs of the population. It is also about rethinking democracy and our roles as urban citizens. Thus the importance for groups that are reimagining the city to be more inserted in local politics, to participate, to speak and to be heard. Thus the importance for the different voices to be joined, so that Brasília can be that inclusive and democratic city it was envisioned to be. Thus the importance of public space +

Why Public Space?

+ Public space brings people together

Public space is fundamental because of its potential to unite people, to question and represent who they are and to foster community.

+ Public space is plural

The coexistence of the different in public space is important for the cultivation of tolerant and empathetic societies, not to mention the productive conflict it generates between different interests, political groups and classes, and the consequent exchanges, compromises and negotiations.

+ Public space is fundamental for democracy

Public space is a prerequisite for the expression, representation, preservation, and/or enhancement of democracy. It is in public space where the different meet and interact, negotiate and contest; where dissent is publicized, demands are expressed and ideologies represented, crucial for democracy.

+ Public space teaches

Public spaces facilitate encounters, and thus social learning.

+ Public space promotes citizenship

In increasingly disintegrating public spaces and abandoned public spheres, the resulting erosions of citizenship have become evident. The spatial appropriation and transformation, therefore, can become a mechanism for larger transformations within those who are involved, changing their motivations, and the depth and character of engagement within the city. People become citizens through their participation in the conception, construction, and management of the city, and particularly, through the negotiations of the use of public space.

The collective association linked to the everyday uses and practices can produce, over time, new space for political action. Using rather than possessing, exploring ways of sharing and taking responsibility for what is shared also ties the relation between commoning, public space and the building and redefining of citizenship.

This is a Beta Version

* The platform is intended to be used and built collectively. I ask for your comprehension because it is still under construction. Please contact us to make suggestions and collaborate with the project!

** This website was also developed as a part of Eduarda Aun’s MS in Design and Urban Ecologies Thesis and Advanced GIS course, at Parsons School of Design. Eduarda is an urban designer and researcher from Brasilia, currently based in New York City.

*** The data used in this project has different sources: a) Initiatives come from Facebook events, newspaper articles, interviews and word of mouth; b) Density and Income data were obtained through IBGE; c) Accessibility data was provided through GDF's Geoportal.