Mazara de Vallo: a Participation and urban self-recovery case study

The aim of this paper is to investigate how a significant and historically radicated presence of migrants contributed to a social, urban and economical change within the territory of Mazara del Vallo, an Italian municipality in the province of Trapani (Sicily). From a social point of view this case study outlines the crucial role that migrants had in the revitalization of the fisheries sector that had always been the main economic activity of the territory of Mazara, but that was likely to be seriously affected after the abandonment of the city by many native citizens who had moved elsewhere. Later, this bottom-up revaluation of the historic fabric of the city has also mobilized the interest of municipal authorities which, starting from the '80s with the General Urban Plan (PRG) and following with the Strategic Plan adopted in 2010, considered to adopt new measures of management of foreign communities’ social needs, implementing policies of cultural and urban development. The combination between citizensled initiatives and the recovery process launched by the Mazara’s Municipality has produced among the results the return of many native citizens along with the definition of good premises for a process of euro-Mediterranean integration now perceived as a real opportunity of renewal for the entire city. On these bases the contribution offers a reflection on the role of citizens as main actors of the cityreality which surrounds and represents them, trying to indicate a series of planning guidelines able to define and coordinate processes of urban regeneration