Participatory Process for Upgrading Public Spaces Through Sustainable Mobility and Social Inclusiveness

The EU project “CrAFt – Creating Actionable Futures” aims to promote participatory processes to support cities’ transition to climate neutrality, according to the “City as a Commons” approach. The City as a Commons framework, developed by the city of Bologna, provides a reference for designing and deploying Climate City Contracts (CCCs) that support innovative forms of inclusive, participatory governance and integrated urban planning strategies with increasing implementation of digital technologies and innovative management. Bologna is an example of a “collaborative city” that improves the principles of “urban collaborative democracy.” Tactical Urbanism is a process of urban transformation providing a cohesive activities package to support cities in realizing collaborative local governance models for reshaping urban spaces with temporary and not expensive elements. Citizens are involved by activating a feedback loop to collect their opinions about the regeneration intervention. For selected road sections, the Municipality of Bologna redesigned experimental pedestrianization projects through Tactical Urbanism to create new large spaces to be used for recreational functions. This experience, conducted by Fondazione Innovazione Urbana (FIU) in the city of Bologna, shows that this participatory and co-creative process allows for transforming poorly organized street areas into new spaces for sociality, mitigating the city’s environmental impact.