THE RIGHT TO THE CITY IN THE INTERSTICE OF THE PUBLIC SPACE:PARKLETS FOR WHAT AND FOR WHO?

This paper discusses the role of public space in the contemporary city, in light of the conception of the right to the city according to Lefebvre (1968) and the New Urban Agenda The objective is to discuss how the urban public space can foster an awareness of new social actors in the sense of building a culture of citizenship and social participation on a sustainable basis. The problem is: To what extent does parklet, as a concept of public space of coexistence, contribute to the promotion of the right to the city and of urban sustainability in contemporary times? As for the methodology, the analysis adopts deductive method and qualitative approach, based on bibliographical and documental research applied to the collection of theoretical-conceptual and normative materials, which were organized and examined by the technique of cognitive mapping. The study resulted in the verification that parklet may represent a new mechanism of private selective and differentiated appropriation of the urban public space. It is concluded that, despite the discourse of providing social coexistence and improving the quality of urban life, parklet's strategy does not have the potential to promote the democratization and sustainability of urban public spaces, and is therefore ineffective for the realization of the right to City.