Urban Spaces and the Public Sphere

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to conduct a critical analysis based on the institutional design of the democratic processes of the public sphere and urban spaces in the empowerment of local governments. The approach is a theoretical construction after reviewing some important developments in the issues of the roles of the state, economy, civil society, and the media on the decentralization processes of empowerment of local governments in their public spheres and urban spaces. This critical analysis is sustained on the political ideology, macro institutional design, political leadership, and authority developed by the New Left´s theoretical approach. With this critical analysis, it is intended to further develop the ongoing debate on democratic decentralization and the implications of the roles of the state, economy, civil society, and the media on the public sphere and urban spaces in the empowerment of local governments.