Por una definición política de espacio público: una propuesta para la ciudad de San José, Costa Rica

Abstract

This article proposes a definition of public space as a site where social antagonisms are manifested and contested, challenging traditional conceptions that portray it as a space of apparent neutrality and harmony. Accordingly, it examines the limitations of fetishized notions of public space, which conceal conflict, exclusion, and power, and proposes a reinterpretation grounded in critical urban theory. Through a literature review in the fields of critical geography, urban anthropology, and political philosophy, the article develops its argument in three stages: (1) a critique of  fetishized conceptions of public space; (2) a proposal for an interpretive framework that incorporates conflict and power; and (3) the formulation of a trialectic of public space based on material, representational, and experiential practices. In this third stage, the discussion draws on case studies from the city of San José, the capital of Costa Rica. Finally, the article invites readers to rethink public space as a dynamic territory whose political character lies in being both the process and the product of social struggles, moving beyond regulatory or aestheticizing perspectives.