Life space, economic space and the contradictions in regional development

This essay intends to confront problems of politics and regional development today with a reflection about the same theme of John Friedmann almost 40 years ago. It is intended to show the actuality of a Friedmann ' s text that presents its preoccupation with the fundamental threats and challenges of the period named as contradictions between territory and function and between the space of life and economic space, which are the object of his reflection. In order to further deepen this discussion, a brief characterization of capitalist societies as developed by Habermas will be presented in order to bring a sociological perspective closer to one geared to physical-geographical manifestations of phenomena. Finally, Friedmann's proposal to overcome the domination of economic spaces will be situated in relation to his own perspective of "radical planning".