Tensiones por el espacio público en la ciudad neoliberal: Ferias populares urbanas en el Área Metropolitana de Mendoza (Argentina)

Popular urban fairs are strongly associated with public space and the development of cities. They represent a possibility of work and affordable consumption for an important sector of the population. However, they are not only spaces of commercial exchange, but also of knowledge, culture and sociability that shape the subjectivities of those who work in them. They are geographies that promote interaction between people, as they involve a series of activities that tend to transcend the trade of goods and services. In this article we analyze the tension between popular traders in the Metropolitan Area of Mendoza (Argentina) and the urban renovation plans of neoliberal city development proposed by municipal governments. We inscribe this tension in the capital-labour power relations, in which the valorisation of the urban territory is a key dimension in the dispute for work space. Along these lines, we ask ourselves: How does this speculative logic operate in the territorialisation-territorialisation of collective work experiences (popular fairs) in public space? What effects does it have on the practices of popular urban fairs? What effects does it have on the practices of popular urban fairs? Specifically, we seek to understand the behaviour of the fairground vendors and municipal governments involved in the socio-spatial tensions linked to two popular fairs located in urban areas of the mentioned metropolitan area–feria Americano in Mendoza City and feria popular de Guaymallén–. To do so, we used a qualitative methodological strategy based on case studies, in which we mainly resorted to direct observation techniques and in-depth interviews. As feiras populares urbanas estão fortemente associadas ao espaço público e ao desenvolvimento das cidades. Representam uma possibilidade de trabalho e de consumo a baixo custo para um sector significativo da população. No entanto, não são apenas espaços de trocas comerciais, mas também de conhecimento, cultura e sociabilidade que moldam as subjectividades de quem nelas trabalha. São geografias que promovem encontros entre pessoas, pois envolvem uma série de actividades que tendem a transcender a comercialização de bens e serviços. Neste artigo, analisamos a tensão existente entre os espaços de feira popular da Área Metropolitana de Mendoza (Argentina) e os planos de renovação urbana de desenvolvimento neoliberal da cidade propostos pelos governos municipais. Inscrevemos esta tensão nas relações de poder capital-trabalho