This paper discusses whether, and to what extent, the construction of popular shopping malls - one of the actions of the program Living Center, in Portuguese Centro Vivo - which aimed to remove street vendors from the streets of downtown Belo Horizonte , contributed to maximizing the more heterogeneous use of these spaces. To this end, the text will be divided into four topics. At first, a history of the presence of street vendors in Belo Horizonte will be made, in order to situate them in time, and, simultaneously, reflect on their more recent appropriation of the city center.In the second, the idea and ideal of public space, as thought in the modernity, will be discussed. Then the discussion turns to public space in contemporary society, from the revitalization policies in general - common, from the late 1980s - and the case of Belo Horizonte. Finally, in seeking a conclusion, the relationship between the subjects who were transferred to the popular shopping malls - the street vendors - and the scene in question: the center of Belo Horizonte will be resumed.
city; public space; urban revitalization; popular shopping