2026: Special Issue. FARE SPAZIO_DARE SPAZIO in urbanistica
Chi occupa lo spazio / Who Occupies Space

Farsi Spazio in Piazza Emilia. Riflessioni critiche su un processo partecipato tra forestazione urbana e pratiche di riappropriazione collettiva nel quartiere Barco di Ferrara

PDF
  • Caterina Rondina
Caterina Rondina
Dipartimento, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Italia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/contest-17170

Published 2026-09-29

Keywords

  • participatory governance,
  • temporary urbanism,
  • public space reappropriation

How to Cite

Rondina, C. (2026). Farsi Spazio in Piazza Emilia. Riflessioni critiche su un processo partecipato tra forestazione urbana e pratiche di riappropriazione collettiva nel quartiere Barco di Ferrara. Contesti. Città, Territori, Progetti, 262–275. https://doi.org/10.36253/contest-17170

Copyright (c) 2026 Caterina Rondina

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This paper offers a critical reflection on a participatory process developed within an urban forestation project in the Barco and Pontelagoscuro neighbourhoods of Ferrara, taken as a situated case study to examine the relationship between institutional devices and practices of reappropriation of public space. Through the analysis of the co-design phases and the temporary transformation of Piazza Emilia, the paper discusses the limits and potentialities of structured participatory models, highlighting procedural rigidities, selective inclusiveness, and the gap between emerging imaginaries and their actual implementation. The experience also reveals the value of temporary practices and local experimentation, as well as the role of academic research as an intermediary actor of observation, translation, and support within processes of spatial transformation oriented toward the common good.

PDF

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

  1. Arnstein, S. R. (1969). A Ladder Of Citizen Participation. Journal of the American Planning Association, 35(4), 216–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944366908977225
  2. Bishop, P., & Williams, L. (2012). The Temporary City . Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/The-Temporary-City/Bishop-Williams/p/book/9780415670562
  3. Cellamare, Carlo. (2019). Città fai-da-te : tra antagonismo e cittadinanza : storie di autorganizzazione urbana. Donzelli editore.
  4. Cooke, Bill., & Kothari, Uma. (2001). Participation : the new tyranny? Zed Books.
  5. De Certeau, M. (2011). The Practice of Everyday Life. In The Practice of Everyday Life (Numero Part 3). Univ of California Press.
  6. Fung, A. (2006). Varieties of Participation in Complex Governance. Public Administration Review, 66(SUPPL. 1), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00667.x
  7. Healey, P. (1997). Collaborative Planning. Shaping Places in Fragmented Societies. In Collaborative Planning. Macmillan Education UK. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-25538-2
  8. Innes, J. E., & Booher, D. E. (2004). Reframing public participation: Strategies for the 21st century. Planning Theory and Practice, 5(4), 419–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/1464935042000293170
  9. Lefebvre, H. (1968). Il diritto alla città. Marsilio Editori.
  10. Low, S., & Smith, N. (2013). The politics of public space. In The Politics of Public Space. Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203390306
  11. Lydon, Mike., & Garcia, Anthony. (2015). Tactical urbanism : short-term action for long-term change. Island Press.
  12. Michels, A., & de Graaf, L. (2010). Examining citizen participation: Local participatory policy making and democracy. Local Government Studies, 36(4), 477–491. https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2010.494101
  13. Purcell, M. (2002). Excavating Lefebvre: The right to the city and its urban politics of the inhabitant. GeoJournal 2002 58:2, 58(2), 99–108. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:gejo.0000010829.62237.8f
  14. Secchi, Bernardo. (2013). La città dei ricchi e la città dei poveri. Laterza.
  15. Sørensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2007). Theories of democratic network governance. In Theories of Democratic Network Governance. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230625006
  16. Tonkiss, F. (2013). Cities by Design: The Social Life of Urban Form . John Wiley and Sons Ltd.