Adaptive Urban Space: Inhabiting the “Third Environment”. An Ethnographic Approach to the Casal Bertone Neighbourhood in Rome

Abstract

An adaptive urban space reflects the city’s capacity to respond to environmental and social change, promote inclusion and resilience, and support sustainable urban transformation in contexts characterised by historical layering and socio-spatial fragmentation. Through ethnographic research, spatial analysis, and experimentation with nature-based solutions, the contribution examines students’ visibility in public spaces and the potential to trigger incremental regeneration processes. The contribution proposes how ecologically oriented and socially inclusive interventions can transform marginal areas into shared environments that strengthen a sense of belonging, reduce inequalities, and increase urban resilience. Interpreting public space as an inclusive process highlights the possibility that adaptation is a socio-spatial practice necessary for a “just transition”.