Violence in urban politics?

Legitimacy conflicts in the process for the privatization of public spaces in Corrientes, Argentina.

Abstract

In Corrientes, Argentina, the central area facing Paraná River has been the focus of multiple urban interventions. However, in 2017, a transformation process revealed specific characteristics: the intensification of spatial privatization and the promotion of exclusive urban spaces faced the rise of collective opposition, which, in turn, led to conflicts between the local government and the actors involved in this opposition. This article explores the violent practices and mechanisms used for the approval and implementation of the ‘Coastal Urban Plan’. The qualitative approach included active participation in self-convened assemblies and state activities as well as the analysis of regulatory documents and journalistic sources. The results reveal the existence of violent mechanisms employed to not only reinforce the unquestionability of urban policy but also silence the dissent. These implied the delegitimization of opposing or affected voices; the reinforcement of authority among a selected few; the masking of technical aspects of the proposal; and the invalidation of conflict.