Urban Regeneration: Understanding and Evaluating Bottom-up Projects

Popular participation in defining the urban environment has been an important topic since the 1960s. The evolution of planning theory shows the growing importance of citizens as urban actors, with practitioners and citizens playing almost equal roles in modem practices (co-design). Nowadays citizens' initiative in urban projects is not only welcome but frequently required by public authorities and governments. This trend is especially important in urban regeneration, which involves, by definition, social aspects and a variety of actors and skills. Recent urban regeneration projects define innovative relations between private social entrepreneurs, professionals and other citizens. This article presents the preliminary results of an ongoing study of small-scale, privately-led, non-speculative urban regeneration projects, which aims to identify the various actors and skills involved and their contribution to the design process. The discussion considers the concepts of 'diffuse design' and 'expert design' developed by Ezio Manzini This theoretical framework focuses on the design process in terms of actors and activities and on the fundamental contribution of non-experts. Three preliminary findings are presented. The first is an application of Manzini's framework to a case of urban regeneration. The second draws on a documentary analysis to assesses the Farm Cultural Park in Favara (Italy) as a case of urban regeneration. Then, I illustrate the involvement of 'expert' and 'diffuse design' in the 'bottom-up' approach looking at the relationship between a professional architect and the promoters of this project.