Comunità attive e spazio pubblico urbano: il design come strategia di riappropriazione.

Constantly evolving contemporary cities are experiencing an increase in bottom-up initiatives aimed at the recovery and enhancement of open-air urban public spaces that are frequently underused, marginalised, disused or in a state of decay. These initiatives are defined as design-driven urban regeneration interventions and are generally characterised by temporary and ephemeral solutions that can be realised in a short time, with limited costs and less bureaucratic procedures than traditional top-down approaches. These intervention strategies find growing support from the citizenship, who, actively involved, re-appropriate collective spaces by re-functionalising them into new places of social aggregation. The effectiveness of participatory design as a strategic support tool in the processes of re-appropriation and regeneration of urban public space emerges through the comparison between bottom-up light regeneration approaches and top-down radical transformation initiatives, as well as the analysis of the Restanza case study, an experience focused on the regeneration and territorial promotion of a Ligurian village through the direct involvement of the local community. Indeed, the discipline of design can provide communities with the necessary tools and know-how to enhance their cultural identity while fostering a stronger sense of community. Design, conceived as an interdisciplinary tool at the service of the community, thus becomes a catalyst for social change; operating strategically to fill the gaps in public administrations, it stimulates long-term regenerative dynamics. Tactical and temporary regeneration solutions represent an experimental opportunity for urban administrations, as they allow them to evaluate the impact of solutions proposed by citizens before investing significant resources.