Tactical Urbanism in Italy: From Grassroots to Institutional Tool—Assessing Value of Public Space Experiments

Abstract

The paper aims to evaluate the value that the experimentation of tactical urban planning activities can assume for the city, through the critical account of some practices in three Italian cities of large (Milan), medium-large (Bari), and medium size (Taranto), which in recent years, in some cases unknowingly, have experienced its effects, also forced by the thrust offered by the need to respond to the consequences of the pandemic. The authors reflect on how short-term interventions started by tactical urbanism movement are inspiring planning institutions to implement short-term place-making initiatives. The contribution moves within the context of new generation urban regeneration in which the transformation of existing spaces is a process of community reconstruction through the redevelopment of public spaces increasingly open to multiple and temporary uses. First through a process of rereading the state of the art of the project of public spaces in Italy and its transformation caused by the pandemic, then through a comparative look between the three case studies, conclusions are drawn on the urban value of the experiments conducted and, on their ability, to identify a new reference point for the sustainable urban regeneration of public spaces.

In-Formality?: Two Cases of Temporary Uses in Urban Regeneration of South Korea

“…The exhibition focused T&T urbanism in relation to the rapid population growth and the current megacity urbanization is primarily observed as a Third-World phenomenon. Of course, there are more concerns related with some urban situations, such as social interaction in public spaces [16,17] or application possibility in the pandemic period [18]. Many urbanists have explored what temporary urbanism can offer in response to these challenges.…”

E-guerrilla 3D participation: Approach, implementation, and usability study

“…These actions can be initiated by bottom-up as well as top-down processes. The installation of benches and tables along the street, the creation of urban gardens, or the drawing of new street signage are a few examples of tactical urbanism (Lak and Zarezadeh Kheibari, 2020;Cariello et al, 2021). Therefore, the actions produced within the scope of tactical urbanism are diverse, in situ (i.e., contained in the territory under transformation), anchored to a small scale, engaging for local communities (i.e., participatory), and often articulated around creative activities such as art (Courage, 2013).…”

Transforming Streets into Public Spaces Using Menged Le Sew as a Driver

“…• Opening entire streets: experiments entirely reallocating the use of whole streets from private car usage to non-motorized traffic and for non-mobilityrelated uses. Cariello et al, 2021;Senger et al, 2021;Bertolini, 2020;Kuss and Nicholas, 2022. These experiments have recorded many positive impacts and benefits toward sustainability and equitable reallocation of street space. The impacts as documented in the scientific literature from experiments done in Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Chile, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, and the United States were aggregated and presented in Table 1 (Cariello et al, 2021); (Senger et al, 2021); (Bertolini, 2020); and (Kuss and Nicholas, 2022).…”

“…Cariello et al, 2021;Senger et al, 2021;Bertolini, 2020;Kuss and Nicholas, 2022. These experiments have recorded many positive impacts and benefits toward sustainability and equitable reallocation of street space. The impacts as documented in the scientific literature from experiments done in Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Chile, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, and the United States were aggregated and presented in Table 1 (Cariello et al, 2021); (Senger et al, 2021); (Bertolini, 2020); and (Kuss and Nicholas, 2022). Pictorial evidence from the implementation of the different categories of street experiments are presented for street remarking (Figures 8 & 9), open street (Figure 10), and a combination of repurposed parking spaces and street section (Figure 11).…”