Fostering Participation in Scampia: Let's Make a Piazza

We present a case-study of social innovation to counter deprivation and social exclusion in Naples. The case, studied within the SINGOCOM research project, is located in Scampia, an extremely deprived neighbourhood on the northern outskirts of Naples. A network of civic associations, Piazziamoci, is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European urban and regional studies 2007-07, Vol.14 (3), p.223-237
Main Authors: De Muro, Pasquale, Di Martino, Paola, Cavola, Lucia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Community
Community action
Governance
Italy
Italy - Urban conditions
Naples
Public spaces
Redevelopment, Urban - Italy
Scampia
Social interaction
Social relations
Urban government
Urban planning
Urban policy
Urban space
Urban studies
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Summary:We present a case-study of social innovation to counter deprivation and social exclusion in Naples. The case, studied within the SINGOCOM research project, is located in Scampia, an extremely deprived neighbourhood on the northern outskirts of Naples. A network of civic associations, Piazziamoci, is trying to build a `piazza' (square), as a place where the local community can meet and experience collective initiatives, with the aim of (re)constructing social relations, especially among young people. On the one hand, these social relations are inhibited and corrupted by criminality and, on the other hand, by neglectful city planning. The civic network succeeded in enhancing local social capital and fighting social exclusion; furthermore, it developed a planning project for the `piazza' through direct citizen participation. The use of ICTs had a relevant role in community networking. The article assesses the socially innovative content of the Piazziamoci project and its impact on neighbourhood dynamics, taking into consideration the intolerable living conditions in the neighbourhood, and the difficult relations between the network and the municipal government.
ISSN:0969-7764
1461-7145
DOI:10.1177/0969776407077740