Extending control to specifically political behaviour, Roberts (2008) describes how, although public space is the primary locus of the discursive activities of the public sphere, places that serve as sites to express dissent (e.g. through protests and rallies) are closely monitored and often designed with the potential for controllability in mind. Also gaining attention in the literature is the trend towards the privatisation of formerly public spaces. This represents perhaps the most extreme form of
control by effectively removing the disposition of public space from the discussions and consensus-building of the public sphere