Commodified public space: The enforcement of authority

Public spaces have undergone a transformation, driven by the dominion of capitalism and the world market. As public spaces are now considered an economic commodity, they might appear to have various functions but nevertheless share similarities; packaged, themed, commodified for consumption and meant for entertainment with access based on the ability to pay (Gottdiener, 2001). Meanwhile, according to Dovey (1999), spaces are necessarily programmed and designed in accordance with certain interests, primarily the pursuit of amenity, profit, status and political power. Defined as ?control over, power manifests itself in many forms-one of which is authority. It controls space and its representation combined with control over the user's behavior as characterized by the absence of arguments and legitimation through legal procedures. This research aims to discuss the commodified public space through its appearance and the existence of authority by using the theory of Production of Space by Lefebvre. This approach was chosen because without the concept of space and its production, the framework of power cannot reach concretism (Lefebvre 1991). The USS Arcade x MoJA Museum in Senayan City Mall, Central Jakarta was selected as the focus of this study. The findings reveal that the physical features of a commodified public space and the existence of authority are reflected in the spatial quality as experienced within the place. Experiencing commodified public space is a leisure, yet such an experience is delivered in a more controlled and profit-oriented way, and it might lead to a shift on its pattern of consumption.