Instituting practices in urban space: Civic-Institutional experimentation in Milan Municipality 9

Abstract

An action-research experience in participatory planning and sustainable mobility offers an opportunity to reflect on the evolving relationships between civic initiatives and public institutions in urban contexts. Developed in the north-western area of Milan, the study builds on a long-term engagement with local actors and institutions that led to the establishment of the IFe civic lab in 2023. The laboratory brings together associations, residents, researchers and local organisations to experiment with new forms of civic engagement and institutional interaction around public space and mobility issues. Drawing on the experience of the Space and Change initiative in Municipality 9, the paper examines how fragmented civic demands can be translated into collective learning processes and how local institutions can engage with them. The case highlights both the opportunities and tensions emerging when civic experimentation intersects with planning practices, raising broader questions about institutional learning, intermediary infrastructures and the potential instituting role of civic action in urban governance.