The article discusses the role of the private actors in the production of space in the neoliberalism context. On one side, the global hegemony of the neoliberal model since the end of the 1980’s developed a standardized model of cities, marked by the collapse of the public services, the increase of the disparities among the social classes and the downfall of the urban space democratic experience. On another, the urban insurgency movements, which opposes to that system, contests the strong influence of the market on the political decisions, reclaiming the citizen participation on this process, also bringing liveliness and dialogue back to the city streets. Based on a bibliographic and audiovisual survey, the article discusses the weakening of national states by the virtue of neoliberal ideology, its consequences, impacts and resistance movements in the context of urban space, focusing on the experience of the protests occurred in Brazil during the years of 2012 and 2013. Finally, it is perceived how, through movements of resistance to the hegemonic model, the city returns to its nature as a stage for political debate.