Facilitating the Participatory Planning of Urban Commons. A Multiple-case Study: Urban Regeneration Projects at Ascolto Attivo

In Italy, there is an increasing number of abandoned or underused buildings, leading to a new dynamic of transitioning from people without spaces to spaces without people. Many of these buildings are publicly owned and are historical and cultural heritage waiting to be brought back to life and re-inhabited by their communities. Participatory planning has been applied in various fields, and recently it has found a new application in projects that precisely aim to regenerate these urban and cultural commons. The interaction between participatory planning, urban regeneration and urban commons has not yet been widely researched. For this reason, I chose to conduct exploratory research based on the data I collected during my internship at Ascolto Attivo, which allowed me to support the organisation and implementation of participatory planning processes. This enabled me to study the contribution of participatory planning to the regeneration of two urban commons in two different urban contexts: the Ex Rede-hosiery factory in the centre of Parabiago, a small town in Greater Milan, and the Spanish Neighbourhoods Park in the homonym popular neighbourhood of Naples. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the decision-making processes behind these projects and processes, I formulated a series of sub-questions divided for three stakeholder categories, namely local government representatives, citizens, and facilitators. In relation to the first category, my research enabled me to define the conceptual framework of the two projects, the rationale for applying a participatory approach to cultural and historical heritage regeneration, and the challenges and obstacles faced by local governments in implementing such projects. With regard to citizens, I identified the motivations for participating in the projects and thus in the processes, the drivers and barriers to their participation, and the impacts they expected from the projects. Finally, I examined the professional and educational background of the facilitators, the skills required and that make this figure a central actor in participatory processes, and the methods and tools they use to support citizen participation and engagement.