Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/42979

This paper aims to discuss a case study of the formation of a public sphere. Residents were informed of the plan for the urban park at a residential meeting. It was hoped that the project would be accepted without need for democratic decision-making. However, there has been controversy as to whether the park should be constructed or not. As a stakeholder, the Chounaikai, "neighborhood association" has played a key role in the resolution of the issue. The paper outlines what constitutes the public sphere and the communicative action theorized by Habermas. And it seeks to discuss the distinction between the public spheres and the pseudo ones, with reference to the concept of Liberalism as related to Habermas' moral consciousness. It examines how settlement of the conflict was achieved, based on the aspects of the public sphere. The case study attempts to show, both how the public communication took shape, and how it overcame some of its difficulties in pursuit of a democratic process of consensus. The findings from the case study can interpret the latent possibilities of the public sphere in relation to communicative action.