CITIES OF TOMORROW: URBAN CHALLENGES
REVIVING MAGNA GRECIA TOWARDS COOPERATIVE AND DEMOCRATIC STRUCTURES IN CATANZARO LIDO, CALABRIA Kikidou Maria Supervisor: Tatiana Ruchinskaya
Thesis submitted for the degree of
Master Course in Urban Regeneration - reCity organised by FisD Consortium October, 2014
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been accomplished without the substantial psychological and material support from people of my environment. Therefore, it would be a pleasure to record my gratitude to all those who helped me during my work on the thesis. First of all, I endorse my acknowledgements to the supervisor Dr. Tatiana Ruchinskaya for her advice and guidance during this complex and new experience. I would like to attribute merit to all my fellow students of the master course and mostly Athanasia Panagiotidi for all this memorable experience, cooperation, support and honest interest. Moreover, I would like to express my recognition to all the group of PEDIO_AGORA, because through meaningful discussions, background exchange and advice helped to enrich this research. I would also like to thank all the people from Place Identity clusters, and especially Mary Karatza and Stephania Xydia for the excellent cooperation and advice. At this point, I attribute my recognition and credits to Lena Misdrakou for the precious contribution she provided through proof reading and advice. Finally, I cordially thank my parents and family for everything, and especially Kiparisia and Antonis for always being by my side.
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
Table of Contents Acknowledgements...................................................................................................3 Glossary of terms........................................................................................................9 Abstract.......................................................................................................................11 1. Introduction...........................................................................................................13 1.1.
Literature
Review......................................................................................14
1.1.1. The Challenge...........................................................................................14 1.1.2. Public Space and Public Realm.......................................................16 1.1.2.1. Public Space - A definition..................................................................16 1.1.2.2. Types of Public Spaces.........................................................................18 1.1.2.3. Significance of Public Spaces.............................................................21 1.1.3. Public space and Democracy...............................................................25 1.1.3.1. Participation and Democracy........................................................25 1.1.3.2. Democratic Performance.................................................................28 1.1.4. International Examples.......................................................................30 1.2.5. Findings...................................................................................................34 1.3. Hypothesis..........................................................................................................36 1.4. Significance and Objectives of the Study........................................................37 1.4.1. Aim and Objectives..................................................................................37 1.4.2. Significance.............................................................................................37 1.5. Methodology.......................................................................................................39 2. Analysis..................................................................................................................43 2.1. Study Area Orientation......................................................................................45 2.2. Wider Area - Catanzaro Lido.............................................................................48 2.2.1. Demographic Analysis...................................................................................48 2.2.2. Historical Evolution......................................................................................48 2.2.3. Urban Development.............................................................................49 2.2.4. Mobility System ....................................................................................50
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2.2.5. Land Use...................................................................................................51 2.3. European and regional planning guidelines..............................................52 2.4. Participation and Active Citizenship in Catanzaro..................................53 2.5. Public Space Network.....................................................................................56 2.6. Public Consultation.........................................................................................64 2.7. Diagnosis............................................................................................................68 3. Proposal..................................................................................................................71 3.1. Vision....................................................................................................................72 3.2. Strategy...............................................................................................................73 3.3. Proposal .............................................................................................................76 3.3.1. Integration............................................................................................76 3.3.2. Accessibility...........................................................................................80 3.3.3. Engagement...........................................................................................82 4. Conclusions and Reccommendations...............................................................93 4.1. Conclusions.......................................................................................................93 4.2. Recommendations...........................................................................................98 References...............................................................................................................101 Appendix..................................................................................................................109
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
List of figures, tables and maps Figure 1: Plan of unrealistically ordered fractal city.........................................22 Figure 2: Mouraria Square, Lisbon.......................................................................22 Figure 3: Quiosque, Jardim do Principle Real, Lisbon. ..................................23 Figure 4: Passeggiata at the seafront, Catanzaro Lido....................................23 Figure 5: Protesters in Taksim Square, Istanbul on Sunday, June 2. ..............24 Figure 6: Geographical locations of international examples........................30 Figure 7: KocaInn, Opening party........................................................................32 Figure 8: KocaInn, Space for relaxation.............................................................32 Figure 9: KocaInn, Living room............................................................................32 Figure 10: KocaInn, Closing party........................................................................32 Figure 11: KocaInn, Blackboard, activities schedule........................................32 Figure 12: KocaInn, Chatting and chilling..........................................................32 Figure 13: SynAthina, External space before regeneration...........................32 Figure 14: SynAthina, Use by civil society group..............................................32 Figure 15: SynAthina, Opening Day......................................................................32 Figure 16: Website of OCM, OCM Borgos..........................................................32 Figure 17: Graphic representation of process...................................................32 Figure 18: Graphic representation of process.................................................32 Figure 19: Active citizenship, Participation and Democracy in public space. .....................................................................................................................................35 Figure 20: Methodology.........................................................................................40 Figure 21: View from southern entrance............................................................47 Figure 22: Bus stop..................................................................................................47 Figure 23: View at eastern part............................................................................47 Figure 24: Existing structure, view from outside..............................................47 Figure 25: Internal Space........................................................................................47 Figure 26: Southern entrance...............................................................................47
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Figure 27: Western part of the space..................................................................47 Figure 28: Existing structure, view from inside ...............................................47 Figure 29: View of the piazza Anita Garibaldi...................................................58 Figure 30: Bus stop, Piazza Anita Garibaldi.......................................................58 Figure 31: Urban Furniture ...................................................................................58 Figure 32: Statue......................................................................................................58 Figure 33: View of Piazza Dogana (1)...................................................................59 Figure 34: View of Piazza Dogana (2)...................................................................59 Figure 35: View of Piazza Dogana (3)...................................................................59 Figure 36: Spontaneous sport activity in Piazza Brindisi................................61 Figure 37: Piazza Brindisi, view .............................................................................61 Figure 38: Piazza Brindisi, parking lots...............................................................61 Figure 39: Piazza Brindisi, basketball court.......................................................61 Figure 40: Piazza Brindisi, surrounding space..................................................61 Figure 41: Piazza Brindisi, Detail: Separation of spaces..................................61 Figure 42: Internal space and furniture, neighbourhood park.........................61 Figure 43: View towards playground...................................................................61 Figure 44: View towards seafront.........................................................................61 Figure 45: Monument “A gutta�..............................................................................61 Figure 46: Playground, internal space.................................................................61 Figure 47:....................................................................................................................61 Figure 48: Activities at seafront (1).......................................................................62 Figure 49: Activities at seafront (2)......................................................................62 Figure 50: Activities at seafront (3)......................................................................62 Figure 51: Activities at seafront (4).......................................................................62 Figure 52: Activities at seafront (5)......................................................................62 Figure 53: Space structure....................................................................................62 Figure 54: Informational label...............................................................................62
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
Figure 55: Giovino public space and pedestrain path.....................................63 Figure 56: Giovino, pineta......................................................................................63 Figure 57: Giovino, pineta (internal)...................................................................63 Figure 58: Frequency of Use and Time Spent in Public Spaces of Catanzaro Lido.............................................................................................................................65 Figure 59: Reason for Visiting a Public Space in Catanzaro Lido.......................65 Figure 60: Percentage of Activities Usually Developed..................................65 Figure 61: Satisfaction of public spaces of Catanzaro Lido (positive VS negative answer)......................................................................................................66 Figure 62: Willingness to get involved in a possible regeneration project....67 Figure 63: Percentage of proposed mode for regeneration (facilities arrangement VS activities development............................................................67 Figure 64: Actual and desirable image of public spaces in Catanzaro Lido (words used by interviewees)................................................................................67 Figure 65: Strategic Guidelines (scheme)...........................................................73 Table 1: Types of public spaces.............................................................................20 Table 2: International examples (description and points of interest)..............31 Table 3: Action Plan.................................................................................................75 Map 1: Study area orientation...............................................................................45 Map 2: Magna Grecia area, source: Google earth, own elaboration.................46 Map 3: Catanzaro Lido, urban development.....................................................49 Map 4: Catanzaro Lido, Land use and mobility network.................................51 Map 5: Catanzaro Lido, existing public spaces.................................................57 Map 6: Diagnosis......................................................................................................69 Map 7: Vision.............................................................................................................72 Map 8: Strategy.........................................................................................................74 Map 9: Proposed public space network..............................................................77 Map 9: Masterplan...................................................................................................91
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
Glossary of terms Citizenship Citizenship refers to the political status attributed by the state to the citizen and includes rights and obligations. Civic engagement Civic engagement refers to the ways in which citizens participate in the life of a community in order to improve conditions for others or to help shape the community’s future. Civil society Civil society is represented as a coin with two sides: active citizenship and the right to be left alone (Jochum et al., 2005). There are 3 main distinctions of the meaning of civil life: • a kind of society, namely a vision of how society should be; • a part of society, consisting of voluntary associations and organisations • the public sphere, where citizens can express and negotiate different viewpoints. Collective consumption Collective consumption is a term introduced by Castells to describe all the goods and services that are provided by the state and produced and consumed on a collective level, such as in cities. These include schools, libraries, roads, bridges, public transportation, health care, welfare, fire and police protection, and defined the way of experiencing city during the past decades. Democracy Oxford university defines democracy as follows: 1 [MASS NOUN] A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. 1.1 [COUNT NOUN] A state governed under a system of democracy.
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1.2 Control of an organization or group by the majority of its members. 1.3 The practice or principles of social equality. Public engagement Public engagement is a relatively new term coined to describe a way of thinking about decision making that involves the collaboration of government, stakeholders and citizens. Public engagement in city design refers to the design through the interaction of specialists with non-specialists. Social cohesion Social cohesion describes a society that works towards the well-being of all its members, fights exclusion and marginalisation, creates a sense of belonging, promotes trust, and offers its members the opportunity of upward mobility. Urban politics Urban politics refers to the political structure that occurs in urban areas and the political discussion about issues that concern the city and its administrational organisation. Urban politics was coined to describe the political dimension of urbanization and the intensity of social phenomena in urban areas due to high population density and diversity in race and socio-economic status.
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
Abstract Contemporary cities have gained global interest due to their rapid expansion combined to economic, environmental, social and political challenges. The form of urban environment is characterised by fragmentation caused by a shift in economic structures, which in turn reveals fragmentation in social relationships. Urban public space is one of the most powerful symbols of a city, serving functions and covering needs in individual, social and political level. This explains why regeneration projects focus on public spaces as the key to urban development. At the same time, many European cities are undertaking planning projects that enhance the role of citizens in shaping politics and the city. The practice of active citizenship is not only enhanced through local and European policies, but also forced by local initiatives and the human nature per se. Given this shift in social structure and urban policies, this thesis develops a regeneration project in Magna Grecia area, a public open multifunctional area in Catanzaro Lido, Calabria, in search of the new form and meaning of public spaces in cities of 21st century. The methodology followed includes literature review concerning theoretical approaches and international examples; analysis through web research and on-field direct observation and public consultation. After reviewing the existing literature on public spaces, democracy, citizen participation and active citizenship; the research questions are formed: Can the creation of a public space become the starting point that will call the citizens to express freely and participate actively to the formation of their society and their city? The aim of this study is to create an open public space network that will reflect values of collectiveness, equity and democracy. In order for democratic principles to be enforced in the city, citizens should be encouraged to engage actively in the creation and usage of public spaces, through participatory processes and interactive infrastructure. The significance of this pilot project lies in its contribution to the discussion of the active involvement of citizens into decision making and urban design and in introducing participation and management practices in Catanzaro Lido. It intends to fill the gap in the analysis and proposals held until now for Catanzaro Lido, discussing about the potential hidden
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in the community of the place. The transformation of Magna Grecia area into a space where people express freely, communicate and cooperate for community and societal purposes; and the creation of a process for its management can become the ignition that will lead into a new experience of Catanzaro Lido, consolidate cooperational structures and democratic values, and activate the mechanism for its sustainable development.
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
1. Introduction Urban everyday life is perceived as a jumble of views, values and problems, so that the city image is interwoven with diversity. The projection of all these different identities to the city often creates different groups with competing interests that lead to unmanageable conflicts. At the same time, the form of the contemporary cities is an occasional structure, which arose from the gap between privacy and publicity, which intensifies and perpetuates the lack of connection and communication. Moreover, a tremendous amount of informational exchange, supported by technological growth, indicates a rise at the educational level, as well as a growing interest towards urban and political discussion. However, top-down processes are still ruling in the decision making, while gaps among diverse population groups seem to deepen. The economic and occupational shift has started to expand in all aspects of life and it calls also for a shift in the way of confrontation of all these concepts that relate to the function of contemporary society within cities. Urban planning studies and city regeneration are, therefore, called to address a series of issues with social and political background. Urban planning adjusts through design and policies in order to resolve and regulate diverse problems. Nevertheless, urban form is only an element within the complexity and the fluidity of contemporary cities. It becomes clear that in order to address these challenges, city regeneration needs to take into account inputs from several working fields, following an interdisciplinary approach, and embedding cross sector collaboration. Having the above mentioned discussion as the starting point, this project will explore on aspects of contemporary urban challenges, as they emerge within a middle size city district in South Italy, a city which encapsulates wider social and economic challenges, representing a rather large part of the European reality. The study is driven by the interest to enlighten the obstacles that need to be overpassed and the hidden potential to be revealed.
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1.1. Literature Review 1.1.1. The Challenge “The new always happens against the overwhelming odds of statistical laws and their probability. The new always appears in the guise of a miracle.” -Arendt, 1965 If anything, nowadays, societies and economic structures are characterised by instability and an inability to predict their future. In this constantly urbanised, precarious world, planning for the future seems odd. In fact, European cities have gained much attention due to the diverse population patterns as far as economic, political and ethnical factors are concerned. The EU report “Cities of Tomorrow: Challenges, Visions, Ways forward” describes a vision for the European cities of tomorrow that emphasises social progress and cohesion, equity and diminishing of segregation and marginalization. Moreover, European cities of tomorrow are also viewed as platforms for democracy, cultural dialogue and diversity, that means communities that promote openness, participation, coherence and subsidiarity, and citizens that are offered the rights of freedom of expression, thought and manifestation, as well as the possibility to participate in democratic processes and urban development (European Union, 2011). Nevertheless, contemporary cities present a rather segregated and alienated space. Highly connected with economic forces, urban space is being shaped in order to serve capital circulation and consumerism (Harvey, 2014). According to Harvey (2014), city design and urban life, as they were shaped by capitalism forces, produce and promote alienation. The economic structures not only shape urban forms and, hence, the environments in which people live in, but also redefine the kind of person that can survive into these cities as well as the relationships and the ways that individuals socialise (Harvey, 2014). Alien consumerism is the way in which people are witnessing and experiencing the city. As Merrifield (2014) explains, this urban system is being perpetuated through its social reproduction that was described by Castells (1977) as ‘collective consumption’. This fragmentation that characterises the current city and its functions was caused by the changes in the conception of privacy and is the reason
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
for the decline of public spaces (Chidister, 1989). According to Chidister (1989), the domination of private over public and the national-wide system of production and distribution narrowed the city centre decreasing the role of public spaces within a city. Public space culture of the late decades and until today is dominated by recreational shopping (Francis, 1989). At the same time, many other devices or mental spaces have substituted the physical space and hence, have weakened the power of the open spaces (Chidister, 1989). Lately1, international discussion has brought to fore public spaces as the key to urban development. Urbanists, practitioners, policy-makers have acknowledged the importance of public spaces and are promoting strategies that enhance, beautify and amplify the public spaces within a city, but also their use and popularity. At the same time, researchers and urban theorists deem that urban public space can foster social inclusion and drive economic development. Concurrently, the rise of the technology has demoted urban public space only to one of the physical or virtual places where public sphere is located (Low et al, 2014, Amin, 2008). Public life no longer occurs exclusively in plazas (Chidister, 1989). Therefore, public spaces are one part within a vast interconnected network of public spaces. The above mentioned discussion calls for questions about the role of the public space in shaping societies and communities; citizens’ perception of public spaces; and the criteria that make a public space a successful and important component within a city.
1  This focus on public space is related to the focus on small scale interventions, something that originally started from 1980s. Specifically, the deindustrialization raised the need for a redefinition of cities, something that was implemented through regeneration projects focusing in public space. Since 1980s the discussion about local cultural development became intense and it managed to be established in local urban agendas (Stevenson, 2003).
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1.1.2. Public Space and Public Realm 1.1.2.1. Public Space - A definition “Public space is the stage upon which the drama of communal life unfolds.” -Carr et al, 1992 Space connects humans and the activities they perform to the natural environment. As a notion, it mostly expresses the materiality of social relations, namely all the modes and the processes of production, construction, perception and signification of social interaction (Gregory, 2000). The term public, typically, embraces all the spaces in a city that are not private. Nevertheless, the perception of it, attributes to the space the characteristic of shared and collective use. “Public space is space where we share with strangers, people who aren’t our relatives, friends or work associates. It is space for politics, religion, commerce, sport; space for peaceful coexistence and impersonal encounter. Its character expresses and conditions our public life, civic culture, everyday discourse.” -Walzer, 1986 As the introductory quote and the given definition demonstrate, public space is inextricably related to the social processes going on upon them. Public spaces represent one of the most powerful symbols within the city, and maybe this is the reason that there are so many definitions of public spaces. They consist such an essential and vital part of the city, that it is impossible to think of a city without them (Madanipour, 2010). Therefore, ‘public space’ cannot be interpreted in one way or be distinguished from the meaning of society. Supporting all the above-mentioned functions, public spaces, however similar, are always integrated in the environment of each city, in a way that they communicate a lot about the city’s functions, culture and attitude towards the citizens (Shrivastava, 2013). Other theorists (Ercan, 2010) put more emphasis on the publicness and accessibility of public space (Parkinson, 2012). Francis (1987) defines urban open spaces, as all the places that are publicly accessible, designed and built for human activity and enjoyment. Likewise, Lofland (1999) highlights the perception of physical and visual accessibility in a public
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
space comparing to a private one, while Madanipour (2010) attributes great importance for the quality of a public space to the way in which its boundaries are constructed. However, the term ‘public’ is not being interpreted as a situation of actual ownership, whether a public space is publicly or privately owned highly affects its use. The public spaces are generally understood as the spaces where public realm emerges. The public realm refers to a social space, and it is the factor that distinguishes the city from other settlement types (Lofland, 1999). As Francis (1989) explains, public space is the meeting ground of the interests of many diverse groups, which is the reason of conflicts and dissents that social and political problems. However, these conflicts are healthy within a marginalised context, also because there is a balance between control and spontaneity (Francis, 1989). It is not related to the diversity of the groups, but rather to a wider political and economic context. Nevertheless, public space, and because of these characteristics, constitutes one of the most important physical area within the city, because of the meanings they have been attributed to it. The public spaces that will be discussed in the current project consist of the places that have been designated for and can host several kind of recreational activities, such as plazas, urban parks with high percentage of paved area, streets and pathways and that provide constant access to everybody without restrictions. As far as the ownership is concerned, the spaces belong to the municipality and can be accessed and used by all citizens freely.
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1.1.2.2. Types of Public Spaces “As public life evolves with the culture, new types of spaces may be needed and old ones discarded or revived.” - Carr et all., 1992 Francis (1987) makes a categorisation of public spaces, separating them into traditional and innovative. As he says, traditional types could not cover peoples’ recreational needs. In many cases, the new types were developed by residents.
Traditional Spaces
LOCATION
CHARACTERISTICS
Public Parks city centre
much of the open spaces presented in cities with large percentage of green space
Neighbourhood Parks residential areas
Spaces designed for the use of local people, may include playgrounds, sport facilities
Playgrounds neighbourhood
includes traditional play equipment, addressed mainly to children, but includes also amenities for adults
Pedestrian Malls main street in downtown area
street closed to auto traffic, pedestrian amenities provided such as benches, planting
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
Innovative Spaces
LOCATION
CHARACTERISTICS
Plazas close to city centre
open space developed as part of new building
Community open space residential areas, often developed on private land
spaces designed, developed, owned and managed by local residents on vacant land
Neighbourhood open space close to city centre
used by children and teenagers, important setting for environmental learning and socialising
Schoolyards residential areas
not normally considered part of open space system of cities
Streets city centre, residential areas
much of the publicly accessible open space of cities, increased awareness of importance of street use and trafďŹ c impact
Transit malls downtown areas
development of improved transit access
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LOCATION
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CHARACTERISTICS
Farmer’s markets residential areas
open space used for farmer’s markets or fleamarkets, temporary or only during certain times
Town trails Usually close to city centre
integrated urban trails that connect parts of the city
Waterfronts Residential areas, often developed on private land
Spaces designed, developed, owned and managed by local residents on vacant land
Vacant / Underdeveloped open spaces city centre, residential areas
Still much of the open spaces presented in cities
Found Spaces Street corners, sidewalks, bus stops, steps to public buildings
Informal open spaces of cities where social life takes place
Table 1: Types of public spaces
The above-presented table illustrates the inevitable continuity of types and forms of public space. The fact that the number of types of public spaces is constantly increasing reveals the changes in the way people live together and how these are still shaping the design and management of places (Carr et al, 1992). One reason for the growth of urban open-space types is the expanding definition of what urban open space is.
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
1.1.2.3. Significance of Public Spaces As it was demonstrated in previous sections, public space is characterised by socio-spatial formations, namely dynamic procedures of production and reproduction of social phenomena and relationships through space and vice versa (Low and Zuniga, 2003). It is, therefore, difficult to separate public space from public realm and public life. It is now being explored how public space generates public life, and in turn, how public life shapes public space. City in its contemporary form is perceived as a sequence of symbolic elements (Tschumi, 2013). Urban space is distinguished between the physical and symbolic aspects which are created by the social production, namely the social, economic, ideological and technological processes that are responsible for the material creation of space (Low and Zuniga, 2003). In this point of view, public spaces are related to notions like democracy, sociability, recreation. In this symbolic meaning of the city, public space holds the most important function. The perception of public spaces within cities as powerful places lies to the fact that are able to attract, sustain, entertain or reduce population, representing the city in which they are located and the opinion we have about it (Burden, 2013). They affect the experience and the feelings of a city, since they serve not just the people that use them, but also a great number of people that feel better only by knowing that they are there (Burden, 2013). The different symbolisations of public spaces lead to a multilayered perception defined each time by social needs and context. Public spaces should not be just fancy architectural elements, but essential and accessible elements that function in three dimensions: individual, social and political. Individual dimension This first dimension refers to the unique perception of each user for the public space. Public spaces reflect ourselves (Francis, 1989). As Francis (1989) explains, the public environment serves as a reflection of individual behaviours, social processes and our often conflicting public values. The cityscape is a result of the social interactions and procedures that
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take place within it. In this perspective, the city is perceived as a unique experience by its users, who at the same time reflect their behaviour on the city (Low and Zuniga, 2003). In this symbolic meaning, the city is a creator of experiences, memories and it consists a part of the perceiving reality of each individual. This reciprocal relationship between human and space is constantly changing, evolving both parties and it has a social aspect residing mainly in public spaces. In this individual level, public space represents the space where each citizen can find a personal corner, attribute a meaning, connect with natural elements and even isolate himself. In other words, people should be able to identify themselves in the public space and feel comfortable to Figure 1: Plan of unrealistically ordered fractal city (Salingaros, 2011)
stay and express themselves. This is also related to satisfaction of personal needs that are important according to human criteria. Social dimension Literature on public spaces refers to it as a catalyst for community reconstruction and revitalization (Diamond, 2004; Lawson, 2007). Social dimension lies on the ability of public space to support the emergence of social interactions. As Dupuy (1981) puts it, the city’s life comes from its connectivity (Salingaros, 2003). What geometry is expected to do, is to uphold the emergence of human interactions. Specifically, the city should
Figure 2: Mouraria Square, Lisbon (personal archive)
be built according to a fractal system (see fig. 1), that means a system that allows the connections in all levels. The spatial expression of these connections is described mainly through public spaces.
Mouraria is a public space known for its intense cultural character, that distinguishes it from other public spaces in Lisbon, due to the proximity to neighbourhoods inhabited by African immigrants.
Public spaces, not only facilitate social connections, they also do shape a rather intense cultural character (see fig. 2). This cultural character is also connected to the uniqueness of each society. With the relationship between people and their environment to be reciprocal and mutually constituting (Fernandez, 1974 in Low & Zuniga, 2003), city’s identity is shaped through people’s behaviour. The creation or construction of identity uses building materials from history, from geography, from biology, from productive and reproductive institutions, from collective memory and from personal fantasies, from power apparatuses and religious revelations (Castells, 1997 in Richardson and Jensen, 2003). Because people meet and gather in public places, these places trough collective memory, obtain meaning, a sense of belonging and, in turn, constitute an important part of city’s identity
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
(see fig.3). The need for performing festivals and rituals coming from each country’s or city’s customs and heritage is also captured on public spaces. According to Gehl, people are acting the same independently from their culture. “They will gather in public if you give them a good place to do it.”. Nevertheless, habits, way of life and culture is embedded in the public spaces in a unique way for each country or city. The ritual of Italian passeggiata, namely the evening stroll is expressed in Italian cities through long linear public spaces, especially in places with natural assets, like seafronts (fig. 4). Political dimension Apart from places of extreme environmental impact, waste production, cultural exchange and so forth, cities have always been the places where political ideologies are born, expressed and flourish. Within this context,
Quiosques are a ubiquitous element in portuguese cities’ squares and parks, functioning not only as decoration, but also as a part of residents’ daily routine for meeting, discussing and socialising during lunch break or after work, and therefore represent part of the culture’s identity.
public spaces are the places where people can express their political interests, but also solidarity, anger, dissent. It is generally agreed that there is a strong relationship between urban public space, civic culture, and political formation (Amin, 2008). Apart from that, public spaces tend to reflect the political status. As Shaftoe (2008) explains, the form of public spaces represents the political system that governs. This can be understood by observing famous public spaces in non-democratic states (such as Tiananmen Square, Beijing, Red
Figure 3: Quiosque, Jardim do Principle Real, Lisbon.
Square, Moscow and Plaza de la Revolución, Havana) that tend to be huge
(www.urbansketchers.org)
and intimidating, obviously indicating the power of the ruling regime as opposed to the insignificance of individual citizens (Shaftoe, 2008). Lately, an increasing expression of popular protest in public spaces has emerged in several countries around the world, with different economic and political background and with a totally different trigger. According to Banerjee (2001), these demonstrations are expressions of frustration over a lack of local control. According to Low et al. (2014) the design of public spaces where people can be politically active expresses the cultivation of shared understandings that uphold democracy. As a place where people can express political opinion, protest and dissent, urban public space is producing and expanding citizenship. As compared to other virtual places, urban public space entails in a greater extend the
Figure 4: Passeggiata at the seafront, Catanzaro Lido
possibility of spontaneity, and can better build on equal accessibility by
(personal archive)
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all. Therefore, urban public spaces become places that provide a forum for political statements, civic engagement, cooperation and contradiction (Low et.al., 2014). Public space is still an experience that supports building awareness of the commons, establishing cultures of sociability and civic sensibility (Amin, 2008). Nevertheless, sociality and interaction in urban public spaces are not adequate conditions for the enhancement of civic and political citizenship (Amin, 2008). According to Carr et al. (1992) the design of public spaces, in order for them to be successful, should be responsive, meaningful and democratic. These characteristics correspond to the dimensions that were described earlier. A responsive public space is the space that is designed and managed so as to meet and serve the needs of their users. The diverse user groups Figure 5: Protesters in Taksim Square, Istanbul on Sunday, June 2. (www.cnn.com)
call for a vast number of needs. Meaningful spaces allow people to make connections among the place and their personal lives. Finally, democracy within a public space is being expressed by the fact that it protects the rights of user groups, such as free access and free expression.
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1.1.3. Public space and Democracy 1.1.3.1. Participation and Democracy “Public realm is the space where human condition of plurality appears, and it is the condition sine qua non.” -Arendt, 1965 Aristotle in Politics argues that city is anterior to the person. Hence, there is a natural momentum that unites people in the society. Every city represents a kind of society. In this context, the citizen represents the constituting element of the city. As Arendt (1965) clarifies, the city -the polis- does not constitute of the city-state in its physical location. The city is defined as the organisation of the people, as it arises out of acting and speaking together. What becomes clear out of descriptions of Chidister (1989) for Greek, Roman and medieval cities is that participation and cooperation were inextricable characteristics that supported the function and the perpetuation of the city and that public spaces, whether called agora, forum or piazza were vital and essential elements hosting these procedures. Therefore, participation was the foundation for the constitution of the city and it was interwoven to the meaning of citizenship. In the Greek polis, a citizen was not only expected, but obliged to participate in public and political life and this fact illustrates the difference between public life then and now (Chidister, 1989: p.32). Later on, the meaning of citizenship changed, being adapted within the social and political context of each society. Namely, participation, as well as citizenship expressed a more typical rather than substantial meaning that one finds in medieval societies and the ones earlier. According to Jochum et al. (2005) the predominant perceptions of citizenship is it being a status or a practice. The former is a meaning being attributed from the state and has personalised dimensions promoting individual interests. This is the form of citizenship that can be found in modern and post-modern societies, in the contrary of what it used to be. Active citizenship as a term was first used by Douglas Hurd (1983) to express a discouragement of the reliance on the welfare state (Jochum et al., 2005). As Arendt (1965) explains, men are newcomers and beginners by virtue of birth, and thus they take initiatives. The verb to act, in its most general sense, means to take an initiative, to begin1, to set something into motion. 1 As the Greek word archein, “to begin”, “to lead,” and eventually “to rule,” indicates.
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This, not only helps in clarifying the term active citizenship, it also indicates an intimate need of people to practice it. Political realm lies exactly on this practice of active citizenship, since action and especially collaborative action is the one activity that constitutes it [political realm] (Arendt, 1965). Active citizenship is understood as a civic identity that is shaped through a common public culture and is produced from a sense of belonging in a specific country or state (Jochum et al., 2005). In a more general term it could also include the sense of belonging in a community. Since it is a practice, it is accompanied by rights and obligations and defined by responsibilities, political virtues and participation in common affairs (Jochum et al., 2005). However, active citizenship as a term is still in a state of perpetual flux (Jochum et al., 2005). Therefore, the attributes of active citizenship to describe the change in perception of citizenship and to constitute public life and political realm, define its linkage with democracy, being the foundation on which democracy can be built. Participation is defined as a general concept covering different forms of decision making by a number of involved groups (Wulz, 1986 in Sanoff, 1999). Within the present societies, at least for a great part of them, participatory processes, as they are envisioned and organised by authorities, aim in regaining trust to the government. Apart from mere decision making, or the distribution of power, as it is defined by Arnstein (1969), the purposes of participation include also information exchange, resolving conflicts, supplementing design and enhancement of concern of the administration and management (Sanoff, 1999). Therefore, citizen participation may indeed have positive effects in establishing democracy in all levels of public life and in enhancing active citizenship. Other advantages of citizen participation include a well maintained physical space, greater public spirit, increased user satisfaction and contribution to economic prosperity (Becker, 1977 in Sanoff, 1999). Civil society expresses the level of citizen participation in community activities and associations, thus it is closely linked to the concept of active citizenship.2 Civil society lies among the state, the community 2 The relational element of participation is essential to civil society. As Barry Knight and Colin Ball wrote, civil society ‘is about association, both formal and informal, with others, to do things that need to be done, which are not or cannot be done, or be done better, by the state or the market. And it is about connection – between citizens and their institutions of governance and between citizens and their organizations and associations’. (Jochum et. al, 2005)
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and the markets (Jochum et al., 2005). It is distinguished by the civic society due to the fact that its emergence depends on personal choice and expression. Hence, it allows a plurality of public spheres within which people can share same experiences, express opinions, debate differences and take forward dissents. These two functions, the function of choice and the function of plurality are crucial to and can contribute to sustain democracy. According to a research conducted in UK3 (Jochum et al., 2005), citizens seem to show more willingness to get involved in unofficial activities, related to community work, namely activities within civil society, rather than activities related to the state. The significance of civil society lies within the fact that the narratives coming from the informal public sphere, precede and hence, somehow affect the informal procedure of decision-making (Parkinson, 2012). What is of great interest is the fact that active citizenship seems to flourish when there is a continuing decline in formal political participation. According to Rosa and Weiland (2013), increasing numbers of people in different cities are engaging in activities related to the improvement of their urban environment. This movement is related to the indifference and incapability of local authorities to address increasing urban issues, but also to a political interest coming from the citizens that impels them to involve in the process of meliorating their urban environment. Successful urban politics are in a great extend based on temporary alliances, developed to address concrete challenges (Weiland, 2013). At the same time, there is a profound avoidance of conventional ways of exercising citizenship that illustrates a lack of interest to the dominant democratic system and government. Therefore, participation and the reactivation of citizens involves sharing of risks and responsibilities among citizens and state, the engagement of residents through decision making processes and, in turn, expands democratic practice.
3  Research in UK to assess the nature of civil society in UK. The research was commissioned by the Commonwealth Institute and conducted by NCVO (2000) (Jochum et al., 2005).
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1.1.3.2. Democratic Performance Within this project, it is accepted that democracy is a practice that can be implemented in all levels of civic life and that is a term that needs to be redefined considering the existing political, economic and social context. Democracy is also recognized as a means of resolving conflicts over liberty among other things (Parkinson, 2012). Moreover, the large scale of cities and societies demand a variety of representatives to handle the occurring problems that arise from the need of having different perspectives (Parkinson, 2012). Democracy was born within public space, and public space remains the most important domain of performing democracy. Although it is claimed that political realm and expression and, hence, the performance of democracy have been transferred to a virtual space, that is internet, there is still the need of expression within physical space. As it is demonstrated by Parkinson (2012), albeit political communication is increasingly occurring online, through news, websites and social media, the stories communicated involve real people and physical spaces. Public spaces are key places for a democratic system, since no democratic community can exist with scarce public spaces (Shaftoe, 2008). Public space outbalance over other means of democracy on the grounds that it can bring together people from totally different backgrounds, ages and economic statuses. It provides, or at least, should provide the accessible by all stage where one can express politically and be heard. In other words, the need for democratic decision-making arises only if somebody sees his/her actions having an impact on others and recognizes that others have claims on him (Parkinson, 2012). Concurrently, the expanding discussion concerning the protests and demonstration (Walljasper, 2011, Badger, 2012, Rojas, 2014) has given rise to a new theory of the reemerging of democracy in public space. However positive these views may be, democracy should not constitute of a condition that appears only within crisis or emergency. Democracy should form the foundation of public spaces expressing the form of urban life through the performance, by the citizens, of democratic roles. The democratic roles as they are defined by Parkinson are narration, claim-making, decision making and scrutiny.
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I.
Narration describes the oral expression of political views and
Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
interests, which are actually perceived as the foundation of democracy, as it first appeared and functioned in Ancient Greece. Nowadays, its informal expression is the most common practice of democracy, especially in southern European countries as part of a wider cultural background. For a real democracy, this narration should become part of the formal decision-making as it provides the raw material and the feedback of every decision. II.
Claim-making is the second performance and it is the next step
after narration. It consists of the practice that is directed to an audience and aims to trigger thought or action1. Because of the characteristics that were just described, claim-making demands publicly visible and accessible places, sometimes sites of symbolic importance and it is performed in a direct or indirect way of communication. III.
Decision-making constitutes the explanation of democracy.
Binding collective decisions are best made by elected representatives in legislatures or councils, or directly by referendum (Parkinson, 2012). The significance of the physical performance lays on the contribution to reinforce the importance of the action. IV.
The scrutiny role of democracy arises from the key role distinction
between performers and audiences. Therefore, there is the need of scrutinising and accounting for decisions and actions. Scrutiny provides the advantage of having a single, recognisable and prominent stage where ‘actors’ perform. The physical performance of these democratic roles, involves action that need to be taken from the citizens. Real democracy entails action. In that sense, active citizenship constitutes the way in which citizens are expected to perform their democratic roles. Active citizenship and participation are also fundamental prerequisites so that these democratic roles will really start to perform.
1 Parkinson describes its scope using Aristotle’s terms (logos, pathos, ethos), namely to convince that one’s ideas are right, to engage their emotions on your side (pathos), and to convince them of good character..
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1.1.4. International Examples
KoCA Inn, urban experiment. Berlin, Germany
Municipal Citizen Observatories. Several municipalities, Spain
synAthina platform. Athens, Greece
Figure 6: Geographical locations of international examples
This chapter describes projects of urban regeneration or policy advocacy that function online or in physical space and provide tools that enhance citizen participation in various ways. The main features of the projects that functioned as inspiration during the writing of the proposal are explained below. “KoCA Inn - an urban experiment. 24 hours / 2 weeks occupation of the Kiosk of Contemporary Art in Weimar, 8 - 23 July 2009� involved the development of different temporary activities and interactive facilities in a currently unused public space. The space was an abandoned kiosk from the era of East Germany, until it was bought by a group of university professors. The project was developed within the context of hosting different groups every 4 months. SynAthina project developed as an initiative by the municipality to promote the work of volunteer groups. After the creation of an online platform, where groups can create an account, book and use the space. Synathina was created as a meeting and working space for Athens based citizen groups, which contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of Athenian urban environment and functions complementary to the online platform (www.synathina.gr).
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WHAT
Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
KoCA Inn - an urban experiment. 24 hours / 2 weeks occupation of the Kiosk of Contemporary Art in Weimar, 8 - 23 July 2009”
Synathina platform. for the citizen groups
Municipal Citizens’ Observatories
HOW
reuse, organisation of ever-changing activities
online platform, reuse, providing of working space, specific use
WHO
group of architects, artists, urban planners
civil society, organised citizen groups
WHY
culture/heritage/ reactivation
networking action volunteers
transparency
public space (neighborhood level)
web/public space (city level)
web space (municipality level / transferable)
WHERE
creation of organised groups, observation, recording, dissemination citizens, activists
points of interest Table 2: International examples (description and points of interest)
The Municipal Citizens’ Observatories (the spanish acronym is OCM) is an open, organised and self-managed space, that aims to network different groups from several municipalities in different countries, in order to achieve greater control of municipal accounts. It was introduced by the Spanish Citizen Debt Audit Platform as a tool that enforces citizen participation in municipal level and promotes transparency. With the moto that “transparency begins on the street”, this bottom-up process invites several people to act in order to gain control over matters that impact on them participating to the observatories.
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Figure 7: KocaInn, Opening party Figure 8: KocaInn, Space for relaxation Figure 9: KocaInn, Living room Figure 10: KocaInn, Closing party Figure 11: KocaInn, Blackboard, activities schedule Figure 12: KocaInn, Chatting and chilling (temporary research groupURBANDÆ, 2012) Figure 13: SynAthina, External space before regeneration Figure 14: SynAthina, Use by civil society group Figure 15: SynAthina, Opening Day (n.d., 2012 - imagine the city)
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
Figure 16: Website of OCM, OCM Borgos Figure 17: Graphic representation of process Figure 18: Graphic representation of process (Ciudada Autoriana)
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2.2.5. Findings The chapter of literature review aimed to analyse the relationship of public spaces to people, while they perform their roles as citizens and users of a city. Considering that public spaces are dynamic places of change, the chapter investigates the role they perform in community building and in allowing new forms of democracy to flourish. Public space constitutes a multidimensional and constantly evolving symbolic element, signified by an ambiguity related to the perception of ownership. Public space should accommodate its users individually, in social encounters, as well as in political demonstrations. However, a mere existence of a public space cannot foster a sense of community (Chidister, 1989: p. 37) or guarantee the satisfaction of all individual or collective needs. Neither merely a well-designed public space can. Even though design can contribute in avoiding mistakes and failures in the use of public space, it cannot be the only foundation that will support the sense of community and democratic processes. The form is only a stage-set that can be easily changed and embellished to accommodate celebrations, happenings and other such ephemera (Schuster, 2001 in Banerjee, 2001). Nevertheless, the importance of public space lies exactly on the unpredictability of public sphere and public encounter as described by Arendt (1965). This characteristic can sustain and show off democracy and explains the reason that the less surveyed public spaces are the ones where change is fermented (Wood, 1981 in Shaftoe, 2008). Active citizenship can arise from the need to claim public space. The fact that active citizenship has gained solid ground over formal political expression, illustrates the need that citizenship is understood as active citizenship. In other words, the need that all citizens get active, know their rights and undertake responsibilities towards the political sphere. In order for that to be achieved, citizen participation should be established in all levels of decision making. Since citizen participation requires the share of power between authorities and the citizens (Arnstein, 1969) it can function only within democratic regimes. A public space that functions as a domain that catalyses the emergence of active citizenship and sustains citizen participation, can promote democratic principles and processes (see figure 19). As Castillo (2013) puts it, as much as space produces a new kind of citizenship, new citizens produce a different kind of space.
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When citizens’ demands are fulfilled, the form of their existence in the city will also improve (Weiland, 2013). As a meeting ground of diverse people, public space underpins the relationships of the individual to the group and to it. These relationships and, thus, the performing of democratic roles can occur in responsive and inclusive public spaces that express peoples’ needs. Therefore, in order for democratic principles to be enforced in the city, people should be encouraged to engage actively in the creation and usage of public spaces. As far as physical form is concerned, it can also function as barrier to the right of expression (Parkinson, 2012). A ‘democratic’ use of public spaces would require the freedom of expression and encounter, as well as the equal access. The right to the production of public space comes from the need to decide and form our environment. It has many additional advantages related to community building, sense of responsibility, and sense of belonging. Therefore, public spaces should demonstrate attributes related to publicness, accessibility and safety, integration to a diverse pattern on a connected network, tolerance and responsiveness to diversity, interaction and freedom of expression.
Active citizenship
Democracy
Citizen participation
Public Space
Figure 19: Active citizenship, Participation and Democracy in public space
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1.3. Hypothesis Nowadays, urban public spaces have gained much interest, considered as the panacea that could compensate the cities’ problems. Given the fact that the economy of the future would be characterised by share of knowledge, public space can be visualised as a workshop of creativity, innovation and exchange, rather than a labelled, constrained to entertainment piece of land. Nevertheless, within the existing western societies, where democratic qualities have been limited to voting or protesting, one wonders whether public spaces function also as spaces for civic engagement. This project is investigating whether the regeneration of “Magna Grecia� area in Catanzaro Lido (Italy) can consolidate democratic values in the district. Can the creation of a public space become the starting point that will call the citizens to express freely and participate actively to the formation of their society and their city? How can a participatory process of public space regeneration enforce active citizenship and promote democracy?
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Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
1.4. Significance and Objectives of the Study 1.4.1. Aim and Objectives This study explores the role of public spaces in contemporary cities and communities and their significance for enhancing active citizenship and participation. After setting the context of planning a public space that corresponds to the needs of future cities’ citizens, the project investigates the actual situation of public spaces in Catanzaro Lido and their relationship with its citizens. The aim of this study is to create an open public space network that will reflect values of collectiveness, equity and democracy. In an attempt to create a public space that can incorporate and sustain citizen participation through its design and use, the objectives of the study are focusing on: a. integrating Magna Grecia area into surrounding urban environment and creating a public space network, b. actively engaging Catanzaro’s citizens in all phases of the urban space production and management, c.
enhancing
active
citizenship
practice
and
democratic
consciousness, through the design of Magna Grecia area, d. fostering the emergence of a sense of community. The idea undermining the project is the fact that whereas many cities have a significant number of open spaces, often these spaces are sub-used and many times difficult to manage due to insignificance of citizens towards their surroundings, diverse interests and lack of social cohesion. At the same time, public spaces that are not used remain an existing potential, and a wasted land within cities, further stressing environmental and social issues.
1.4.2. Significance This thesis is providing a study on how can the public spaces contribute to the components of a democratic society. In a first level, the project contributes to understanding of the significance of public spaces and citizen participation for community well being and for the consolidation
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and better function of democracy. In a second level, the project attempts to identify these concepts into the community of Catanzaro Lido. The study introduces processes of public engagement in Catanzaro Lido, including citizens into the process of design of public space. The study is providing an example of public space regeneration that emphasises on active citizenship and enhances the relationship of Catanzaro Lido’s citizens with their urban space. The proposal is based on data deriving not only from Catanzaro Lido, but also from a wider European context. Though place oriented, the proposal does not provide a fixed design, and therefore it aims to be transferable, becoming an example of urban regeneration through community building for future studies. The proposal aims to place Catanzaro Lido area among the successful case studies, raising awareness and addressing problems related to degradation and non-use of public spaces. Since a radical change involves a continuing effort built on a change of thought and behaviour, this thesis, apart from a design solution, proposes a management process, dealing with issues associated with community, social cohesion and quality of life. Hence, the proposal demonstrates the way in which public spaces can contribute to community building and to consolidation of values and linkages among the citizens. The process of management intends to function as the tool for the raise of creativity and the trigger for a different confrontation towards urban space and urban planning. Apart from creating awareness, the participatory approach of the management involves several inputs from the diverse participating groups. Through the promotion of cooperation and interplay, a better relationship among citizens and public authorities is consolidated and the process of public space creation becomes familiar and understandable. Moreover, it would contribute to the creation of an identity, enhance pride of the place by its citizens and promote active citizenship. Therefore, this project on one hand, aims to complement to the discussion of the active involvement of citizens into decision making and urban design, and on the other hand to introduce participation and management issues in Catanzaro Lido.
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
1.5. Methodology This chapter illustrates the thesis’s research process, which included methods for collection, analysis and elaboration of the data that led to the design solution and recommendations. The proposal of regeneration project in Magna Grecia Area, Catanzaro Lido, requires the examination and understanding of the area through a phase of analysis. The challenge of this project was to combine a rather generic field of study, namely ‘The Cities of Tomorrow’ and the regeneration of a specific open space. Therefore, at the same time, a research on existing bibliography and up-to-date articles is conducted related to the challenges that the cities of tomorrow will face and the urban issues that have to be addressed in a wider scale. Due to above mentioned reasons, the data collection phase included two parallel processes, which affected each other: the analysis of the area and the bibliographic and web research. The bibliographic research focuses on public open spaces, their role in the city and the relationship to users, and the behaviour of people in public spaces that derives from personal, social and political needs. Moreover, issues that were examined were public space analysis and design, as well as participation and active citizenship. Diverse successful international examples are embedded in the literature review to supplement the theoretical study and to reveal practical constraints, for the design and the management of a public space. The analysis of the study area involves the collection of all relevant information for the identification of the issues that have to be addressed, through observation analysis, public consultation and web research. The field study involved direct observations of all the public open spaces in Catanzaro Lido, during which, their physical characteristics, accessibility and linkages, uses and activities were recorded. Direct observations focused on identifying public spaces’ structural features, the environmental, social and psychological functions enabled, and the existing pattern of uses and relationships among public spaces and their users. The consultation plan includes questionnaire research and analysis, which was conducted to users of public spaces, concerning the perceptions, the use and the aspirations for public spaces of Catanzaro Lido. The process
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for consultation is described more analytically in a next chapter. The analysis of the wider context of Catanzaro Lido included, also, information about the existing urban and regional plans, ongoing projects , population data and civil society activity. The final step was the evaluation and elaboration of gathered data through a deductive approach, in order to identify the potential and malfunctions of the area. The findings formulated the proposal which consists of the recommendations for the integration of Magna Grecia into the existing public space network, the design solution and the description of the process of management.
Analysis
Bibliographic research
public consultation web research
theoretical approaches
direct observation
Regeneration Strategy public space management
design solution integrated network
Figure 20: Methodology
international examples
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
2. Analysis This chapter aims at the reconnaissance of the area to be regenerated and the comprehension of all the different levels that define and affect it. These levels regard the citizens’ needs and activities; the existing uses and circulation networks; the existing adjacent public spaces and their use; and current regional and local urban plans. The regeneration project treats Magna Grecia area, a public open multifunctional area in Catanzaro Lido, Calabria. Magna Grecia and Catanzaro Lido are examined with reference to the approach that was described in the literature review of the present thesis. The existing situation of Catanzaro Lido is described including the current and upcoming challenges that need to be addressed, as well as the potential that may arise, the social capital including active citizenship, existing presence of civil society and groups that work in the cultural and political sector. After the description of the generic situation of Catanzaro Lido, the analysis focuses on the structure, image and use of public spaces and the way they are integrated into the city. The chapter closes with the findings concerning the potential of Magna Grecia area to be fully integrated and regenerated according to the needs of the surrounding settlement and its population.
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2.1. Study Area Orientation Magna Grecia area is located at the northern part of Catanzaro Lido, close to the area La Fortuna. It covers an area of approximately 3,5 ha and it is surrounded by the national road E848 and the street Stretto Antico. The space presents a unique significance for Catanzaro Lido due to: the fact that it provides the first image of the district, at the entrance to Catanzaro Lido from Catanzaro City and other parts of the region proximity to the regional and local railway station proximity to the historical centre of Catanzaro Lido its name, that encapsulates a significant part of the history and cultural heritage of the whole area of South Italy connected to the place’s identity.
STUDY AREA ORIENTATION Magna Grecia area Catanzaro Lido district stream railway
Map 1: Study area orientation
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Map 2: Magna Grecia area, source: Google earth, own elaboration
The area currently is coordinated by the Administration of the Province of Catanzaro, which inaugurated it as a multifunctional space in 2000. Nevertheless, according to the image and its actual use, Magna Grecia could not be characterised as multifunctional, since it is used only for the performance of concerts and cultural events, mainly during summer months. After the consensus of the Ministry of Economic Development, the space was decided to be transformed into an exhibition centre (Centro Espositivo Fieristico) with a total budget of 5.036.900,85 euro (n.d., 2014a). Despite its strategic location, the space is not favoured for its external connections being completely segregated by its surroundings. Access is provided only by two entrances at the southern and eastern part. Concerning its connection to the wider area, the railway stations, the road and two bus stops in front of the space serve as a linkage to the province of Catanzaro and other Calabrian cities. The space is also served by a regional bus stop and it hosts two parking areas with a capacity of 20 cars.
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Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
The internal structure of Magna Grecia area is mainly characterised by two distinct spaces (see map). The larger area at the eastern part serves for the organisation of events and open market, and the western area is an open space with trees separated by a street. The space has a capacity of 40.000 people (n.d., 2014).
Magna Grecia area Market area Open green area Parking area Buildings
Figure 21: entrance
View
from
Figure 25: Internal Space
southern Figure 22: Bus stop
Figure 26: Southern entrance
Figure 23: View at eastern part
Figure 27: Western part of the space
Figure 24: Existing structure, view from outside
Figure 28: Existing structure, view from inside (fig. 24)
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2.2. Wider Area - Catanzaro Lido Catanzaro Lido is located in the southernmost region of continental Italy and is the coastal district of Catanzaro, Calabria’s capital.
2.2.1. Demographic Analysis Demographic data of Catanzaro and wider area indicate steady population rates and a tension of immigration towards other parts of the country and abroad (ISTAT, 2010). The whole province of Catanzaro presents a low population density that is primarily linked to the phenomenon of urban sprawl (ISTAT, 2010). Moreover, the area demonstrates an emergence of ageing population phenomenon during the last years, as well as a low percentage of foreign residents compared to other areas in Italy and a significant loss of foreign population (ISTAT, 2003) (see appendix). Nevertheless, despite the current tension for population reduction, the area presents a very interesting population pattern due to its proximity to the university (Universita degli Studi Magna Greacia) and the sea. Thus, apart from the permanent population, Lido concentrates a large amount of students during winter, while all along the summer months, families and individuals roll in for tourism. The peculiarity of this phenomenon lies within the fact that these people are half-permanent and half-temporary, and they have a special connection to the place which relates to the fact that they stay long enough to get connected, and short enough to not be considered as permanent residents. However, the touristic side of the city dominates over the student’s one, both in terms of liveability and public policy.
2.2.2. Historical Evolution The area of Catanzaro Lido has been populated since the pre-Greek era, when the respective settlement was named Crotala, named after the stream Crotalo (now known as Corace). During the Magna Grecia era, the settlement was part of the ancient area of Scolacium. The following years, the population moved to northern, highland part due to the invasions by the Turks and Catanzaro Lido starts to get repopulated mainly by fishers’ families after the 12th century, when the coastal areas became more secure.
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2.2.3. Urban Development
URBAN DEVELOPMENT Magna Grecia area dense urban tissue semi-dense urban tissue sprawl and future development tension stream
Map 3: Catanzaro Lido, urban development
Catanzaro Lido’s recent development as a fishers’ village started during the 18th century. Since then, the area develops a character strongly related to the sea, which is present until today. The connection of Catanzaro Lido to the sea is also obvious in the development of the urban tissue during the past years. Catanzaro Lido, as most urban areas of southern Calabrian coast is developed across the Ionian shoreline and its parallel national road SS106. The other axis that defined its development, mainly in later years, is the axis that emerged due to its connection with the northern part of Catanzaro City. Those elements are clearly demonstrated in the maps and squeal the connection of Catanzaro Lido to the sea and to the city of Catanzaro. In this way, there is the central part of the city that lies within the port and the first stream and concentrates the majority of daily economic and social activity. Moving away from this area, somebody can observe that the activity and the intensity of the built element is fading away to end up in a completely sprawled pattern.
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2.2.4. Mobility System The district of Catanzaro Lido functions as a transportation hub for the whole area of Catanzaro in regional and national level. The regional railway station is located in the historical centre of Catanzaro Lido that connects Catanzaro with the rest of Italy. Moreover, the old national road SS106, which crosses the centre of the district, is still used, mainly for transit inside the region. This through-going movement inside the centre contributes a lot to the vibrancy and the liveability of Catanzaro Lido, but it creates problems in terms of traffic and sustainability. In a local level, Catanzaro Lido is characterised by a lack of integrated mobility network and pedestrian system, as well as high dependency on individual car mobility. It is estimated that the majority of transit within Catanzaro province is carried with privately owned vehicle. Private car dependency is due to two main factors: the sprawled urban environment of Catanzaro and, the low quality and problematic public transportation. Reversely viewed, the high percentage of car ownership causes and perpetuates both problems, and degrades the quality of life in central areas of all the districts of Catanzaro (historical centre, Lido, Santa Maria etc). The car substantially enhances the individuality of people, and the effects caused by its use and function are perceived in a higher level from those who do not use that kind of transport rather than the users themselves (Vlastos, 2010). Alternative and sustainable forms of transport, such as bike and pedestrian routes are limited and disconnected to each other. In specific, the only bike route in Catanzaro Lido is located by the seafront and it serves more for recreational use, rather than transit. The above mentioned features, in turn result into a lower quality of urban life that is related to traffic congestion, reduced air quality, high levels of noise disturbance, and even a pattern of separated land uses (that means long distances between services and residence). However, the area also presents elements that can be used in order to discourage car use and promote a more sustainable transport system. These are infrastructure like railway, cable railway, airport and the historical core with narrow streets that can be found both in Catanzaro Lido and Catanzaro City.
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2.2.5. Land Use As the map demonstrates, Catanzaro Lido has based its structure on a mild residential development. The two fundamental characteristics of land use pattern are the fact that central areas concentrate a large part of daily activity, and the fact that the uses are separated. The latter is linked with the phenomenon of sprawl and individual car mobility as described above. The commercial activity is concentrated in the centre of Catanzaro Lido, in the wider area around piazza A. Garibaldi and along the avenues that lead to Catanzaro City, while recreational activity is located along the seafront. Other important elements concerning the land use that have affected and currently affect city’s development in a local and regional context are the commercial centre ‘Le Fontane’, large poles of attraction, such as the Giovino area, and the archaeological area ‘Parco Scolacium’ that is located nearby.
LAND USE & MOBILITY NETWORK Magna Grecia area stream railway arterial / national road pedestrian local street residential area commerce and services urban voids transportation infrastructure education and culture
Map 4: Catanzaro Lido, Land use and mobility network
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2.3. European and regional planning guidelines The significance of public spaces for cities’ wellbeing is clearly expressed both in European (Leipzig Charter), national (Piano Nazionale per la rigenerazione urbana sostenibile) and regional level (QTRP). Since a regeneration plan is expected to address issues in local and global scale, the urban regeneration policy should follow the guidelines expressed by the corresponding regional authorities and by European Commission. The regional policy clearly highlights the compliance of two policy levels (local and regional) (De Marco, 2013) and the need for a holistic approach on urban regeneration with emphasis on sustainable practices regarding environment and society. European directives and funding policies emphasise more the need of social well-being and participation. In the “National Plan for sustainable urban development (Il Piano Nazionale per la rigenerazione urbana sostenibile)” is described the need for an integrated approach and a sustainable urban regeneration. More specifically, urban regeneration is seen as an opportunity, through which problems such as, the lack of identity of a neighbourhood, the lack of public spaces and problems that occur from high densities within the built environment can be addressed. The main objectives of the plan also include re-evaluation of public spaces; reservation and regeneration of public and private built heritage; reduction of land consumption and greener urban mobility. The Framework for the Regional and Spatial Landscape (QTRP - Quadro Territoriale Regionale Paesaggistico) expresses the idea that regeneration should be linked to environmental, historical and cultural character of the place concerned, as well as the identity, and the needs and demands of the population. QTRP aims in rebuilding relations traditionally existing between society and territory and therefore strengthen the feeling of belonging and rootedness, facilitating the preservation of the uniqueness of places and spatial diversity. The Strategic Plan (Piano Strategico, 2008) of Catanzaro foresees citizen participation in decision making through online public consultation, but mainly on issues related to regional and territorial decisions. It proposes the facilitation of the consultation processes, however, without a specific strategy that promotes clearly citizens’ participation.
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In a European level, the “Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities” refers to the role of public spaces for tourism development and for attracting knowledge-industry businesses and qualified workforce. Lisbon’s Treaty set the foundation for a more democratic dimension in European cities, and promoted citizens’ initiatives and citizen participation in decision making. Moreover, European Union is supporting actively the cities’ initiatives that aim in public spaces regeneration and citizen participation. Exchange and learning programmes (URBACT) and financing programmes (Europe for Citizens) promote the exchange of knowledge and experience, the improvement of quality of life, the enhancement of active citizenship and direct participation in the decision making process in a local and European level.
2.4. Participation and Active Citizenship in Catanzaro Regarding the participatory processes that have been developed in Catanzaro area, the only consultation plan has been implemented within a regional framework. Specifically, in the context of production of the Framework for the Regional and Spatial Landscape (QTRP - Quadro Territoriale Regionale Paesaggistico), 39 participatory forums were set up throughout the region of Calabria so as to contribute to its development. The process was developed under the programme, named as “Insieme sì puo” (“Together we can”) and involved discussion and envisioning on four subjects, which consist the four thematics of the plan. The results consist of insights, choices and issues raised, which provided the foundation for the development of the plan and the strategies (Region of Calabria, 2012). According to Italian law, an association is a body consisting of natural or legal persons, driven by the pursuit of a common goal. The association is one of the group forms recognised by the law, which protects the freedom and constitutive forms of activity and it is generally understood as a type of ‘social formation’. It has a personal basis and consists of at least two people pursuing a common goal legitimate. This goal usually serves cultural, charitable, environmental or social purposes, but there are also associations with other interests, such as sports and so forth. The Italian Constitution (Article. 18) recognises the right of citizens to form associations freely, without authorisation (Catanzaro Province, 2013). Within the area of Catanzaro, 57 associations operate, dealing with issues
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like culture, solidarity, recreation, social inclusion and politics. Considering the wider area, including for example Squillace, this number increases. Asssociazioni culturali are perceived as they express the civil society, and hence, a form of active citizenship, and they express a potential in the social capital of the area (Catanzaro Province, 2013).
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2.5. Public Space Network
Lungomare
Magna Grecia
Piazza Brindisi
Neighbourho and playgrou Piazza Garibaldi
Piazza Dogana
In this part of the thesis, an analysis of public spaces is attempted, and the interrelations among them. For the purposes of this thesis, the public spaces that are examined refer to all publicly owned open spaces of Catanzaro Lido, that allow free access and are mainly oriented to recreational use. The on-field survey that was conducted consists of two parts. The first is a survey on physical attributes of the public spaces, and the second a consultation plan for the users of public spaces in Catanzaro Lido. During the survey, emphasis was given on the quality characteristics and the social structures that public spaces pertain and they are evaluated according to their accessibility, activities, space arrangement, natural and artificial elements.
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Pineta
ood park und
Map 5: Catanzaro Lido, existing public spaces
The existing public spaces in Catanzaro Lido present a rather disperse and scarcely connected network, with limited green areas. Most of the public spaces within the urban tissue are squares and open spaces, but they do not have the use of the ‘piazza’. They are used, in principal, as meeting points, certain hours within the day, while many of them are permanently occupied by cars. Car traffic and parked cars are present within the whole area and around public spaces and it is the main reason that public spaces seem segregated from the rest of the city. Concerning the sculptures, they are not place oriented, but they seem to represent rather abstract and global meanings, without contributing much to place’s identity. Within the dense central area, there are still a lot of vacant lots, some of which belong to the municipality (i.e. Teti area) and present an opportunity for a more sustainable use of the space and development of the whole area. The public spaces that will be discussed are: piazza Anita Garibaldi, piazza Brindisi, piazza Dogana, promenade, playground and neighbourhood park on G. Caboto Street and the park of Giovino.
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_Piazza Anita Garibaldi
Figure 29: View of the piazza Figure 30: Bus stop, Piazza Anita Anita Garibaldi Garibaldi
Figure 31: Urban Furniture
Figure 32: Statue
Piazza Anita Garibaldi is the main square, located right in the historical centre of Catanzaro Lido. The space consists of a small square and two extended sidewalks at each side of the street and it is crossed by the SS106 national road. Important elements that contribute to the identity of the space are the church “Parrocchia di Santa Maria di Porto Salvo” and the sculpture “Statua ai caduti della grande guerra” dedicated to the people who died during the first world war. It is a rather central and vibrant space and it was full of people most of the times visited, during the field study. Due to its proximity to the commercial activities the place is classified as Pedestrian Mall . Because of its location at the main street, close to the train station and bus stop, the space presents very good external connections. Nevertheless, internally the movement of pedestrians is obstructed because of cars. The green space between the street, serves only the car movement, abating it, but without really promoting a more sustainable transport. The accessibility by disabled could be characterised as problematic and it lacks infrastructure for bikes. The space is characterised by a high presence of moving and parked cars and several commercial activity. There is no presence of amenities or special activities, and therefore it seems ideal for short appointments in combination to the shopping activity. The space is frequented by a huge range of people, residents, students and tourists, of different age groups, but most of them are passersby.
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Figure 33: View of Piazza Dogana (1)
Figure 34: View of Piazza Dogana (2)
Figure 35: View of Piazza Dogana (3)
_Piazza Dogana. Piazza Dogana is a small space in the historical centre of Catanzaro Lido. It is one of the few public spaces that has no visual connection to the seafront. Despite the space was designed in order to develop around a small commercial and daily centre and promote walking, it is currently used as a parking space. It does not host any special construction or activity and, as far as connectivity is concerned, the space is mostly surrounded by buildings and provides limited visibility. The space is not used as a piazza and people use it only to cross it, with most of them to remain in the place no more than five minutes. According to questionnaire survey, residents do not recognise it as one of Catanzaro Lido’s public spaces. _Piazza Brindisi Piazza Brindisi is located by the promenade, and in specific, in the centre of the seafront, close to the central square. It is a big public space, comparing to the others and it is used to accommodate civic activities and events, mainly during the summer. The space is not well connected to the surroundings since its one side is terraced to buildings, so that for some, it seems to constitute their backyard. The other sides are surrounded by parked cars, that reduce the accessibility and the visibility between the space and the street. Another feature that constrains accessibility is its multileveled structure and the fact that is in a higher level than the street. Due to this shape and structure and the lack of integration, the space is scarcely used as a path to lead to other places. It is paved, in its major part surrounded by a few palm trees. As far as urban furniture is concerned there are only a few benches located at the edges of the space, since the whole area is empty. It also includes a basketball court. The space does not include any piece of art,
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but it is landmarked by a fountain. Although the whole structure is rather old and many of its parts are degraded and affected by time and use, piazza Brindisi is a very liveable place that attracts a lot of people during evening hours. Despite the lack of specific infrastructure, it is used by the children to play soccer and other games. It is also recognised a lot by the people of Catanzaro Lido, however it would benefit more with a better arrangement of the space._ Playground and Neighbourhood Park These two public spaces are located very close to each other, at the two sides of the C. Gaboto Street, in front of the coastal road, Via Lungomare. The neighbourhood park consists of a small green space with low vegetation, serving only aesthetic criteria and a paved area with two benches for resting. It is landmarked with the monument ‘A Gutta’, which used to be a buoy that was misplaced by a storm and found again in 1994, when was placed in the specific public space (n.d., 2013). Nevertheless, at the space, only little information is provided about the monument. The space can be easily accessed, despite the temporary placement of garbage bins in front of one the entrances. Although it provides a comfortable space for temporary rest, noise pollution from passerby cars hinders the serenity of the space. Despite its proximity to the sea, it could be claimed that there is not a clear connection between the sea and the public space. Due to the small size of the space, it remains an aesthetic element without a specific use. All the times visited, the public space had none or only a few users, functioning only as a passage for people that cross the area to go to adjacent buildings. The space has no amenities to develop other uses than the profound. The playground is located right next to the neighbourhood park described above, though there is no apparent connection among them. It is surrounded by small bushes and some green spaces, whereas, apart from that, the space does not have any other suspicion of natural space. It is a constrained space as far as size is concerned. The space is oriented towards the use of a certain age group, without allowing the mingle among several people and age groups. Despite its bad design, it is usually full of people and children, especially during afternoon. Many of the users come from other adjacent towns.
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Figure 36: Spontaneous activity in Piazza Brindisi
sport Figure 37: Piazza Brindisi, view
Figure 39: Piazza Brindisi, basketball court
Figure 38: Piazza Brindisi, parking lots Figure 40: Piazza Brindisi, surrounding space Figure 41: Piazza Brindisi, Detail: Separation of spaces
Figure 42: Internal space and furniture, neighbourhood park
Figure 44: View towards seafront
Figure 43: View towards playground
Figure 45: Monument “A gutta�
Figure 46: view of Figure 47: Playground, internal space playgroung from seafront
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_Lungomare Lungomare is a linear promenade that extends around 2 km. The space has been recently renewed and is the most popular part of Catanzaro Lido. It consists of a pedestrian path, a one-way bike lane and some islands of green. As a pedestrian path, it serves in order to connect different parts of the city, but it also constitutes a destination. Structural details indicate the intension to orient the space towards the sea, since is the main reason of visiting the area. Nevertheless, many people that visit the space seem to be also attracted by the movement that is generated. The space contains only one art object, the Ancora, a statue dedicated to the people lost in the sea. Within certain areas, internet connection is provided, but apart from that, no other specific structure exists that promotes a certain type of activity, nevertheless, people are using the space in various ways, engaging in,
Figure 48: Activities at seafront (1)
Figure 49: Activities at seafront (2)
Figure 51: Activities at seafront (4)
Figure 52: Activities at seafront (5)
Figure 54: Informational label
Figure 53: Space structure
Figure 50: Activities at seafront (3)
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sometimes, conflicting activities. The activities that usually evolve are strolling, running and exercising, reading and writing, surfing on internet. It is also a space for unofficial meetings and conversations, lunch break, street trading and so forth. Concerning the bike-routes, it is rather interesting the fact that though there is high presence of bikes along the promentade (the highest than in any other part of the city) none of these bikers uses the bike line. The promenade does not seem to be physically connected with another public space, however a network with the adjacent bars and cafes seems to have been developed. Moreover, people that use the space, for running or exercise, usually extend the path all along to Pineta area, even though the actual pathway is interrupted at the port area. _Pineta The park of Pineta is the only organised green area in Catanzaro Lido. It is a strictly recreational area that was created in order to protect the residential area from the strong wind. It contains wooden urban furniture, paths and open bars that function only during summer.
Figure 55: Giovino pedestrain path
public
space
Figure 57: Giovino, pineta (internal)
and
Figure 56: Giovino, pineta
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2.6. Public Consultation The scope of the public consultation is to reveal the way people use, perceive and imagine public spaces of Catanzaro Lido. It aims to contribute to the understanding of the relationship among citizens and urban space and to provide insights about the current situation of Catanzaro Lido, the deficiencies of public spaces, the personal and community needs, as well as ideas for regeneration. Moreover, it investigates the level of social activity in Catanzaro and the willingness for citizen participation. The consultation plan consists of a questionnaire survey addressed to the users of public open spaces in Catanzaro Lido. The survey was oriented towards the citizens and included a total of 20 persons, users of public spaces, randomly selected, with an emphasis on selecting people from diverse age groups that were developing different kind of activities, to ensure the diversity of responses and points of view presented.
People in Catanzaro Lido visit, recognise and use public spaces of the district as points of reference. The most preferred public space is the seafront, and it is the only public space in Catanzaro Lido where people develop different kind of activities. The fact that some people consider the mall ‘Le Fontane’ as a public space, confirms the misconception about public spaces described in the first chapter. Regarding Magna Grecia area, only a few recognise it as a public space, and even fewer are aware of its existence and its name. Interviewees stated that they visit public spaces quite often and they devote much time. However, according to activities stated (see fig. 60) people are using the public spaces to satisfy needs that arise out of cultural rituals (passeggiata), personal interests and social wills . In specific, people use public spaces in order to stroll, relax, dedicate some time to themselves, meet friends and observe the community. It becomes clear that public spaces in Catanzaro Lido lack a political dimension and people tend not to recognise the political potential. Nevertheless, a lot of people stated that it happens to them to start a conversation with people they do not know, something that could imply the need to socialise, exchange opinions and even an openness and trust to the community (see appendix).
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Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
< 15 min.
15-60 min.
1-3hours
transit destination
>3hours
Figure 58: Frequency of Use and Time Spent in Public Spaces of Catanzaro Lido
Figure 59: Reason for Visiting a Public Space in Catanzaro Lido
75%
50%
Figure 60: Percentage of Activities Usually Developed
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The question about if they are aware of any social activity (see appendix) aims to investigate on what is the civil society in the area and if people are involved in activities related to their place, environment, art and culture etc. The majority of them are not aware of such activity or groups. As some of them claimed there are some cultural associations, groups and organisations with such activity, though the influence is rather limited and only a small percentage of the local population is involved.
SATISFACTION OF PUBLIC SPACES
Figure 61: Satisfaction of public spaces of Catanzaro Lido (positive VS negative answer)
Few people are really satisfied with the actual situation of public spaces
PROPOSALS FOR REGENERATION
in Catanzaro Lido. Most of them, as already said, focus on the area of seafront, but public spaces are in general acknowledged as insufficient. 75% of interviewees state interested in contributing and participating to a possible project of requalification and improvement of public spaces. Despite the low quality of equipment in Catanzaro Lidoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public spaces
facilities rather than the many people focus on activities as a way for improvement, actual space renovation. Other important features for the requalification of public spaces, recognised by the users, are trees and planting, cleanliness and safety.
activities
Regarding the question about the future of Catanzaro Lido, people gave diverse responses that are mostly oriented towards negative prospects. It is worth-mentioning that the responses in this question demonstrate a way of thinking that enforces top down interventions, in the sense that people feel that the change needs to come from above. While, the majority of the people interviewed stated that there are not satisfied by public spaces in their existing form, they were not clearly motivated to do something about it.
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express opinion
YES
NO
lack of time
SATISFACTION OF PUBLIC SPACES contribute to small interventions
passive person develop activities
cultural events
Figure 62: Willingness to get involved in a possible regeneration project
PROPOSALS FOR REGENERATION
facilities activities
// neglected // underestimated // rilassanti // abandonned // clean // unused // insufficient // mediocre // few // scarse // inadequate // deficient // good // limited // nothing // minimal // disorganised //
// live // animated // organised // interesting // valorised // fully-exploited // equipped // entertaining // ample // cultural nodes // utile // beautiful // intelligently used // greener // expanded // improved // updated // adequate // Figure 63: Percentage of proposed mode for regeneration (facilities arrangement VS activities development Figure 64: Actual and desirable image of public spaces in Catanzaro Lido (words used by interviewees)
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2.7. Diagnosis The chapter of analysis describes the existing situation of Magna Grecia area and Catanzaro Lido, in order to provide the framework for the configuration of the proposal and recommendations. Catanzaro Lido presents a diverse pattern of malfunctions and unused potential. The whole image of the district is characterised by a degradation of urban environment and its internal urban structure is rather segregated with a lot of disconnections. The land use structure, the sprawled pattern and individual mobility, the degradation of the centre, all demonstrate social distance, or as Harvey (2014) calls alienation. Despite the migration tension, the area still preserves an important human capital that is interested and willing to participate in processes of urban regeneration. At the moment, the role of the citizen to the policy making and the participation to urban planning processes is rather limited. Although there are some cultural associations within the area of Catanzaro, their work is not really diffused, and people are not aware of their work. The lack of tools by the municipality to integrate and engage citizens in public policy constrains the development of citizen initiatives and perpetuates alienation and insignificance of citizens. Catanzaro Lidoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public spaces are scarce, low-quality, not easily and equally accessible and their development relates to the sea front. The design and structure of existing public spaces are characterised by low aesthetic and functional standards, a lack of identity and clearly demonstrate an intention to promote isolation and recreation, rather than encounter and political expression. Despite the often use, especially the afternoon stroll (passeggiata), public spaces lack organised or group activities. Though people seem to acknowledge activities as a means to regenerate the public spaces of Catanzaro Lido, they seem to ignore public spacesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; potential since in many cases they use public spaces as parking lots. Magna Grecia area is at the moment a space which is sub-used and neglected by most of the citizens as an available and accessible public space. It is situated in a crucial area for the image of the district to the visitors, since it is adjacent to the northern entrance to Catanzaro Lido, both by car and railway system. Its location, away from the sea, at the west-northern part of Catanzaro Lido creates better conditions for use
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- pressure from adjacent dense urban tissue - may cause new development to unbuilt areas
- bad pedestrian connection - car trafďŹ c
- unequal distribution of green and public spaces
+ proximity to historical centre + railway stations
Strengths | Weaknesses Magna Grecia area
+ entrance to district - located at the edge of settlement
positive spatial elements ( negative spatial elements
Map 6: Diagnosis
also in the winter, can create a new centrality and a balanced development, with the concurrent regeneration of the port. Catanzaro Lido needs a redefinition of its identity and character through its local population. The public open spaces of Catanzaro Lido can be exploited so as to upgrade the quality of life in the area, creating spin-of results in the economy and above all nurture the collectiveness and community spirit. The creation of an integrated network of public spaces that function complementary can enforce their accessibility, their usage, and therefore maximise their potential. Moreover, the enhancement of citizen participation through awareness and process facilitation can lead to the satisfaction of local people needs and therefore promote a more inclusive democratic society, as was described in previous chapters.
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3. Proposal â&#x20AC;&#x153;Public space, if organised properly, offers the potential for social communion by allowing us to lift our gaze from the daily grind, and as a result, increase our disposition towards the other.â&#x20AC;? -Amin, 2008. Catanzaro Lido is a district that has to address social inequalities and environmental degradation in order to develop as a sustainable community expanding its touristic and economic potential. At the same time, it has to address challenges that apply also to the general European context, like unemployment, economic recession and social distance. Therefore, the question that this project seeks to answer is how Catanzaro Lido can use and exploit its existing dynamic in order to handle the challenges caused by diversity and intense socio-political fermentations. How can existing open spaces contribute to the creation of an inclusive and democratic community in Catanzaro Lido and attribute value to the surrounding area, so that Catanzaro becomes a city that provides opportunities for a better and qualitative way of life?
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3.1. Vision The project seeks to develop a new way of experiencing Catanzaro Lido that enhances the sense of belonging and responsibility towards urban environment and provides the grounds for community development. Given that public spaces have always been the ferment of urban change, this thesis presents a pilot project that aims to transform Catanzaro Lido into a democratic and sustainable community through the regeneration of Magna Grecia area. Magna Grecia area is visualised as a multifunctional space where freedom of expression and deliberative discussion is celebrated and where people can actively dream, engage, reshape and own public space. Catanzaro Lidoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s citizens care about their district and its future and take initiatives, formulate the strategies for urban regeneration, communicate and learn through an interactive and reciprocal process.
responsibility cooperation participation SHAP E
deliberative discussion
D
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communication
Magna Grecia area
M
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IC LO AT CR DEVE MO DE NITY U MM CO
surrounding area/connections ideas ďŹ&#x201A;ow railway street network
Map 7: Vision
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3.2. Strategy The regeneration of Magna Grecia area deals with the creation of a public space that integrates into the existing network and generates social life. This project approaches â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;placeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as a continuity affected by people and time. Urban regeneration can be, therefore, viewed as a spatiotemporal transformation that entails time and energy (from people) to be achieved, and functions as a catalyst to the operation of a wider network, namely the cities or regions. This regeneration strategy seeks to transform Catanzaro Lido into a friendlier, more equal and responsive district through the establishment of inclusive methods for the creation and use of public spaces. Since, a city has been always functioning through co-operational structures emerging in public spaces, the strategy for the public spaces of Catanzaro Lido aims to establish new linkages, stressing the dynamic and diversity of its citizens. Public space is considered as the ideal place to reactivate citizenship and municipality, the ideal level for participating in decision making. The strategy provides tools in order to increase the participation of the citizens, encouraging them to experience and to shape several aspects of Catanzaro Lidoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public spaces that will lead to its reactivation.
e b lic
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Figure 65: Strategic Guidelines (scheme)
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STRATEGY Magna Grecia area community open space accessible dynamic participatory integrated public space network existing public spaces future public spaces railway street network Map 8: Strategy
The strategies accumulate findings presented in this project and intent to specify the design of urban regeneration accordingly. The strategic guideline for public engagement aims to involve citizens in the process of design of the public space of Magna Grecia and to increase citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; initiatives and activities in the public space. The guidelines that promote accessibility and integration aim to ensure that Magna Grecia area is a space that can be accessed by a large part of the population, provides interesting and safe settings and fits into Catanzaro Lido, promoting the development of its urban environment. Engagement during production of public space can further improve better implementation of accessibility and integration strategies, since more people are expressing their needs and personal qualities into design. This, in turn, will provide and ensure engagement and active involvement during the use of public space, which eventually lead to an infinite reproduction of public spaces.
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INTEGRATION
ACCESSIBILITY
creation of a Public Space Agenda
enhancing the feeling of safety
new public spaces and attribution of different uses to the existing ones
enhancement of utility and importance of public spaces within urban space measures for enhancement of walking and car reduction
tree and greenery planning
structure that allows visual comfort
ENGAGEMENT development of participatory design practices workshops for creating a shared vision
public space design workshops amply lighting that adjust depending on the activities developed
facilititation of civil society’s inclusion and encouragement of citizen groups formulation
inclusive design for people with impairments
enhancement of interaction among citizens and public space
old bridge tower transformed into “green artificial waterfall”
portable and assembling furniture interactive physical elements
physical or visual connections among public spaces
creation of pedestrian bridge that connects Magna Grecia area with historical centre
textured and colourful pavement
Strategy Actions Table 3: Action Plan
facilitation of organising ever-changing and spontaneous activities by the citizens provision of community space
webpage creation for enahnce of communication among several groups management process
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3.3. Proposal 3.3.1. Integration Given the existing situation of public spaces in Catanzaro Lido, characterised by isolation and segregation, as described in the previous chapter, this strategy aims to create an integrated network of public open spaces. Along with the regeneration of Magna Grecia area, practices for the improvement of the existing public spaces are proposed that will eventually create a continuous public space network consisted of existing and future spaces. The strategy aims at the creation of an urban continuity among public spaces, connecting the diverse uses and users; and a new spatial system of activities that promotes sustainability and healthy economic development. Therefore, its complete implementation is expected to be accomplished within a long term framework leading to the aesthetic improvement of urban environment and the creation of the conditions for spontaneous economic development. The strategic guideline involves: 1.
Creation of a Public Space Agenda
2.
Enhancement of utility and importance of public spaces within urban
space
The urban space network is expected to unite the regenerated Magna Grecia area, existing public spaces, new spaces included in the network and current urban voids that are expected to be regenerated in the following years. The network can function as a stimulus that will help citizens to understand the importance and utility of public spaces. It aims to signify the lack of public spaces that can function as a binder among the several neighbourhoods and land use. 1. Creation of a Public Space Agenda The creation of a Public Space Agenda will help the better management of public spaces and will provide a guidance for the future development. It mainly consists of an inventory with the public spaces and the activities they permit. The strategy foresees the attribution of existing open spaces into the public open space network, so that a unity of utility
Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Challenges 1. IDENTIFICATION
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OPEN SPACES IN CATANZARO LIDO Reviving Magna Grecia: Towards Cooperative And Democratic Structures
existing open spaces short term plan new open spaces mid term plan future open spaces long term plan
2. CONNECTION
PUBLIC SPACE NETWORK: CONNECTIONS AND TYPES
3. DEVELOPMENT
Schools: greening, interactive and playing structures
PROPOSED INTERVENTIONS
Magna Grecia Area
Piazza Garibaldi pedestrian connections, amenities, benches
Piazza Brindisi: greening, connection to the seafront, sitting equipment
Piazza Dogana: green pedestrian and bike transit
Map 9: Proposed public space network
neighbourhod park: united playful area for yound and adults Seafront: tree planting, better connections to adjacent public spaces
Schools: greening, interactive and playing structures
Giovino pineta: low-impact interventions, recreational activities
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spaces is created and a new culture of experiencing public spaces is nurtured. The spaces that are included in public spaces are places that are sub-used, either due to specific activity either because they are occupied by cars or other obstacles. Schoolyards can be restructured so that they are used in afternoon hours. They are enhanced with green and ecosustainable materials and they are attributed partially to the public. Interactive and playing structures are installed that can make the place more attractive. The integration of new spaces into the existing network is expected to promote the use of public spaces and establish a healthy and sustainable mobility network that unites public spaces, land use and several neighbourhoods of the district. It allows access to everybody and eliminates the discrimination over car users representing democratic constitutions. 2.
Enhancement of utility and importance of public spaces within urban
space This strategy will be implemented through aesthetic and functional improvement and provision of connections among the several publi spaces
Aesthetic and functional improvement
The existing public spaces are proposed to be restructured so that they formulate an integrated network. Therefore, the proposal is applying guidelines for aesthetic and functional improvement that comply with principles related to democracy, accessibility and public engagement. a)
Urban furniture that enhance the development of activities,
communion and interaction among citizens b)
Tree and green planting
c)
Protection of the surrounding space from car park and facilitation
of equal access (creation of pedestrian crossings for people with limited accessibility and visual impairments) d)
Mix of uses and promotion of activities to enhance interaction
The strategy includes recommendations for a better function of the public space network and attribution of different character to each space. Within Piazza Anita Garibaldi, the provision of benches and cafes and the
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establishment of better connections for pedestrians will maintain the liveability and at the same time, reduce the car traffic. Its proximity to the commercial street can stimulate the local economy and invigorate the district. Piazza Brindisi would be transformed into a neighbourhood place for social communion and spontaneous daily activity. Proposed improvements relate to the greening of the place, its better connection to the public place of seafront and provision for sitting equipment. Neighbourhood park and playground could be transformed into a unique playful area for children and adults. The street in between allows its use by cars, but with pedestrians and users of the space prioritised. Piazza Dogana can function as green pedestrian and bike transit areas. For the public space of seafront (Lungomare) tree planting along the pedestrian area will create better conditions for its use also during hot summer days and better connections with the public spaces situated across the street can enforce the link among the district and the sea. The proposal for the area of Giovino foresees low-impact interventions on the natural environment and the seafront- use of public space for recreational activities (sport, music, art, games etc.) and implementation of policies for protection from pollution also during winter.
Connection
The proposal involves the connection of adjacent public spaces through the promotion of measures that encourage walking and reduce moving and parked cars. The interventions focus on the enhancement of the pedestrian experience through: a)
Widening of sidewalks and tree planting in order to improve
microclimate, visual and acoustic perception wherever possible. The street network does not permit the widening of sidewalks in all parts due to limited width. The streets where such tactics could be applied are: part of Via Torrazzo (between Via Tommaso Gulli and Via Murano), part of SS106 (after its crossing with the railway), Via Lungomare, piazza Dogana). b)
Conceptual and visual links, using gamification practices, linear
murals and artistic installations, labels and signs with explanatory and historical facts about buildings or streets. Green connections refer to conceptual pathways that will clearly guide pedestrians among public spaces.
Figure 66: Alternative possible sidewalk arrangement for walking enhancement
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3.3.2. Accessibility The strategic guideline for accessibility intends to promote values of openness and conviviality and, in a further level, establish quality of life expressing peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs. The strategic guideline consists mainly of design solutions that aim to represent diverse needs, permitting the access and staying to different kinds of users. Public space design is oriented towards satisfying accessibility to the majority of people found in Catanzaro Lido and wider area, including students, women, families, elder people, disabled and immigrants. The proposed actions aim to function both as solution and as an inspiration for the groups of civil society which operate in the area of Catanzaro province and can further research on the relationship between the space and disabled. 1. Enhancing the feeling of safety Visual comfort - Acoustic conditions The proposed structure of Magna Grecia area allows wide visibility in most of the space as a means to enhance the feeling of safety, comfort and openness to diverse people. The tree cluster at the southern-western area of the space will function as a visual and noise-pollution boundary from the highway, distinguishing and signifying the space. Lighting The space will be amply illuminated so that it can be used also during night hours enhancing the feeling of safety. Apart from the daily lighting installation, the space will offer additional options depending on the activities being developed. Lighting consist part of the management of the place aand it can be adjusted according to the frequency and mode of use. 2. Inclusive design for people with impairments Coloured/textured pavement The creation of a colourful and multi-textured pattern of pavements will help in distinguishing separate uses. This tactic will attribute a specific character to the area, but it will also serve people with visual impairments through the use of different materials.
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Green artificial waterfall The tower of the unfinished bridge is proposed to be transformed into a “green artificial waterfall” that uses rainwater. The tower will be covered with climbing trees, and on the top of the tower, a collector will impound rainwater, which will be distributed to open ducts. The water will flow in a corrugated way and it will circulate through the power of solar energy during the summer months in an unending flow. The flow of water creates a sound that will be recognised and eventually linked with Magna Grecia area, by all people, including persons with visual impairments. It aims to create both optical and acoustic trigger, signifying the arrival to the area. Pedestrian bridge The pedestrian bridge is going to extend from the western part of the space and cross over the road and railway. It would provide access to pedestrians and bicycles. The access to the bridge from Magna Grecia area is provided through an inclined pathway starting from the entrance to Magna Grecia area. It will be connected to the existing tower of the unfinished bridge, located close to piazza Garibaldi (on str. Piazza Anita Garibaldi). At that point the bridge is widened into a small covered area (approximately 20 sq.m.), so that it provides benches, a space for temporary parking for bicycles and an elevator. In this way it creates the sense of a continuity to the central area of Catanzaro Lido. The bridge is foreseen to have at least 5 metres width in order to allow the unhindered movement of pedestrians and bikes. Civil society The existing civil society in Catanzaro represented by the cultural and solidarity associations will be also invited to contribute to the design expressing a more holistic view of the several groups they represent (i.e. A.D.A. Calabria, Centro Calabrese di Solidarietà, Accoglienza terza età, for elderly). The action is expected to increase awareness, recognise and promote the work of social society groups and set the foundations for social inclusion and acceptance of different.
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3.3.3. Engagement This strategic guideline refers to citizen engagement in all phases of production and use of public spaces and, thus, includes actions that facilitate the substantial participation of citizens into these procedures. World is perceived as a continuing project of change (Harvey, 2014). Within this concept, this project, in contrast to regeneration projects that create static constructions, intends to provide the possibility to the residents of Catanzaro Lido to imagine and shape public spaces, and in turn to become an indispensable part of urban space design. 1. Development of participatory design practices Identification of groups The project starts by informing the citizens about the creation of the public space and inviting them to participate in the design. The call for participation would be addressed to citizens of Catanzaro Lido, but it is also directed towards other people of the wider area. It mainly aims to attract interest groups and possible future users of the space such as university students, cultural and music groups, political groups, activists and associations. Since, the aim is to engage as many people as possible, to stimulate them to develop diverse activities and to create a multifunctional space that provides many possibilities, several groups are invited. Stakeholders would be also incorporated into the design such as Ubik cafĂŠ, caffe delle Arti, University of Catanzaro Magna Grecia in order to participate to the design process. Groups from civil society: cultural associations will add their point of view contributing with practical knowledge and experience. Informing about the public space Informational workshops will take place on issues about citizen participation, public engagement, community building. Informational workshops and seminars are going to be held, in collaboration with the municipality, where people will be invited in order to discuss about the potential of public spaces. The municipality should function as facilitator to the process of participation and management. A key issue is the fact that the invitation should be addressed to all the members of the community and to ensure the right for everybody to participate.
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Therefore, the meetings would be open and be accompanied by a well spread communication strategy. The invited stakeholders are expected to explain their activity, express their ideas, get acquainted with citizens of Catanzaro and discuss possible collaborations with other interested citizens or stakeholders. This first stage of communication among citizens, civil society and municipality aims to provide the foundations for the participation in public space design. Creating a shared vision Apart from the consultation that provided a rough idea of what citizens of Catanzaro lido dream about their city and public spaces, during the first stage of the project, workshops and other tools for envisioning the area will be implemented in order to create a shared vision for Catanzaro Lido and Magna Grecia. This stage will help to identify all the issues by the citizens and to generate possible solutions. These solutions are in keeping with the solutions proposed within this project, but the possibility of additional issues is permitted so as to create a mutual image for Catanzaro Lido, namely a vision that represents the majority of the population. The process of creating a shared vision will enhance community spirit by propounding principles of collective benefit, cooperation and democracy. Design of Magna Grecia area During the design phase, the solutions provided by this project will be explained in order to provide feedback and formulate the final solutions. Several design workshops will be held in order for all the citizens to participate and the vision is detailed in specific actions. The areas of contribution by the citizens regard detailed structure and arrangement of the space, materials and urban furniture, preferred uses and activities, brainstorming on the modes of connections and other insights. The organization of design workshops will define that citizens can accept the several changes and can promote a different way of thinking about the city. In specific, this step of public engagement will help citizens to understand the process of urban planning and the necessity of collective over individual needs; engage with their surroundings; and adopt a more critical perception about the city. The finalisation of the plan will entail collaboration among the citizens, develop skills of justification, retreat and acceptance.
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IDENTIFICATION OF GROUPS civil society (associations) stakeholders Catanzaro Lido’s citizens university students
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INFORMATION
informational workshops and seminars directed to the citizens of Catanzaro Lido and Catanzaro, introducing to civil society and stakeholdes, identification of problems
VISION envisioning workshops in order to create a shared vision for the future image of Catanzaro Lido and its public spaces
START OF THE PROJECT
DESIGN OF MAGNA GRECIA
MANAGEMENT OF MAGNA GRECIA
DESIGN design workshops for the creation of detailed planning solutions and actions according to vision; definition of citizens contribution
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GROUPS creation of small groups or associations of several interests, as a consequence of cooperation during the previous phases of strategy (vision and design)
CITIZEN COMMITTEE
creation of a management committee consisted and elected by citizens that decides on the issues concerning the Magna Grecia area, use and functions, activities developed and arrangement of space, as well as the management of the website
WEBSITE
creation of a website will function as a tool for the facilitation of the changing uses and communication and interaction among citizens
COMMUNITY MEETINGS organisation of periodical open meetings among the community and interested citizens about the management of the space, that are expected to enhance the feeling of direct participation and collaboration for a collective purpose
COMMUNITY BUILDING
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Creation of citizen groups The previous phases of envisioning and design are based on cooperation among different people. Therefore, this process is expected to promote acquaintance among the citizens, so that in a next level they create smaller groups or associations of several interests. 2. Enhancement of interaction among citizens and public space The proposal provides all the important elements needed to facilitate the engagement by the citizens during the use of Magna Grecia area. In specific, interactive installations and objects are going to be in disposition of the groups formed and individuals and aim to promote engagement and facilitate the communication among citizens and public space. Flexible urban furniture Urban spaces are palimpsests that capture changes over time. The design of the project aims to capture two main aspects of time representing nowadays society, the sense of ephemeral and the sense of periodical. In contrast to regeneration projects that create static constructions this project intends to give the possibility to the residents to imagine and shape the public space. By allowing a space that can be created by people through ephemeral constructions, the project aims in regulating the conflicts that arise from different interests. Moreover, a new thinking process about the city can arise, which favours the diversity and multiplicity. The ephemeral is being expressed through a special designated space that hosts temporary constructions made out of simple and eco-friendly materials that would be easy to assemble and modify by several groups. As the image on the right demonstrates, simple urban furniture like wooden cubes could be combined in various ways to form a different arrangement of the space that can host different social functions. The modular design of the furniture entails the possibility to address several needs. It can be arranged in order to serve daily use and friend discussions, but also more organised activities such as an outdoor lecture, group meeting, workshops, informal assembly or demonstrations. Following this concept, the final proposal can incorporate more ideas coming from the
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relax
discuss
assemble
learn / inform
public speech
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WISHES I wish Catanzaro Lido had I wish less cars it was always summer
STATEMENTS
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Let’s change the world!
citizens concerning furniture or the way of their arrangement. Thought board An indirect but meaningful communication can arise through the creation of a “thought board” that is dedicated to citizen expression. A wall is designated to the use of local people who can express manifestations, thoughts, inspiring phrases or other kind of decoration and will change periodically from people of the community. Next to it, posters and logos are going to be posted and will inform passengers about upcoming events of the square. The wall will become a reference point of informal one-way communication, therefore after the success of the space there will be no need for advertising campaign of events in other places. Community Space A self organised community space will be created next to the southern entrance to the Magna Grecia area. The building can be used from designated groups of citizens and provide equipment for activities such as projections, lectures etc. It would serve for the meetings among civil society or citizen groups or other future arisen need. The building also includes a library and a reading room. The library initially contains books provided by the municipality, but in a second phase can be enriched by books from citizen collection. The function of the library aims to be “built” on mutual exchange and therefore, it is a lenting library, open to the public. Amphitheatre An amphitheatric construction is embedded into the constructed hilly landscape at the western side of the area will accommodate medium-scale
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events and festivals. The other part of the amphitheatre will be in a lower level in a way that it would provide a podium for speakers and political expressions. Though there is no request for such a political expression, the existence of the podium aims to function as a trigger that would promote the principles of free speech and invite people to use the space in various, expressive ways. Open market and recreation The space in front of Via Nazionale is proposed to be dedicated to spontaneous development of small cafes, bars and shop. The space aims to attract people for daily activities and generate a pedestrian movement. It is located close to the library so as to allow and enforce interaction among people that may visit the space for the first time. Behind this space open market could be organised periodically during the months.
amphitheatre bars and little shops open market open multifunctional space managed by the community community space and library waterfall tower small hill for protection from noise pedestrian bridge
Map 10: Masterplan
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3. Facilitation of organising ever-changing and spontaneous activities by the citizens As mentioned earlier in this thesis, the design of the public space reflects the ephemeral and periodical aspect of time. The sense of periodical is expressed through the way of function and the possibility of alternating uses. The project deals with the management of public spaces through local groups that will be responsible for the design and the function of public spaces so that citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; participation in decision making is enhanced. The idea for the proposal was formed after the consultation, when it was observed that people in Catanzaro Lido are interested in participating in the process of requalification and give more emphasis on the activities held in a public space. The proposal for the management of Magna Grecia area aims to create a process through which people would be crucial part of the organisation of public spaces.In specific, the project develops a variable space with superposed uses, through the facilitation of the process for the development of activities by the citizens. The building of a new process for the management of Magna Grecia area will become the foundation on which new goals will be set and new visions will emerge both for Magna Grecia and the whole district of Catanzaro Lido. Public space is considered to be a social good that citizens are welcome to enjoy. However, multiple social values can arise when citizens are responsible and take care of the public space. The attribution of a part of the management to the citizens can be both economic sustainable and socially profitable. Management Committee After the completion of the project and when the groups of citizens would have finalised about the uses and the structure of the space, a management committee is created which will decide on the way the space is used. The committee will coordinate the schedule and organisation of the activities, the general functions (lighting), the arrangement of urban furniture, the protection of community space and be responsible for the inclusion of more teams in the process. It will also be responsible for the function and update of the website.
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Website The creation of a website would function as a tool for the facilitation of the changing uses of Magna Grecia area. The website will have the form of an interactive database through which, users and teams can get informed about upcoming events, workshops and other activities held in Magna Grecia. Citizens would be also invited to upload their own requests for using the space according to available dates and space arrangement, as well as other information, such as photos of past events, questions. The website can also function as a forum of discussion about several issues that relate both with the management of public spaces and general information about Catanzaro. Citizen meetings Apart from the activities and closed group meetings that can be held in Magna Grecia, periodical open meetings among the community and other interested citizens of adjacent areas or users will be held in order to decide on the upcoming events of the space. In these meetings, people would be invited to vote for the management committee, introduce new topics, uses, installations to be placed within the space, discuss and decide. The citizen meetings are important because they enhance the feeling of direct participation and get people acquainted and collaborating for a collective purpose. These meetings would also be the motive so that people discuss on the problems and possible solutions of Catanzaro Lido and the wider area, related to environment, economy, politics and policies.
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4. Conclusions and Reccommendations 4.1. Conclusions This thesis set out to explore the constituting elements of public spaces that can promote practices of democracy, active citizenship and participation within cities. The specific aim of the thesis was the regeneration of public spaces in Catanzaro Lido, so that they reflect values of collectiveness, equity and democracy. The latest tension within cities demonstrates an inability of urban planning to address their complex problems. Despite the general improvements concerning economic, technological and educational fields, social problems are still intense within several western societies. Catanzaro Lido has to face challenges related to this wider social and economic context and the lack of concrete policies against them that involve citizen participation and promote a sustainable community. In this context, this project investigates whether the creation of a public space can revitalise the district and set the base for a strong democratic community in Catanzaro Lido. The significance of the study lies in the complexity of issues that Catanzaro Lido has to address, the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pilot nature as well as the effort to highlight the citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dynamic through their creative involvement. The theoretical discussion presented in the literature review chapter contributes to the understanding of the significance of public spaces and citizen participation for community well being and for the consolidation and better function of democracy. This led to the formulation of research questions as follows: Can the creation of a public space in Catanzaro Lido become the starting point that will call its citizens to express freely and participate actively to the formation of their society and district? How can a participatory process of public space regeneration enforce active citizenship and promote democracy? This thesis was based on the assumption that democracy has changed way of existence. Contemporary society is characterised by ample information means, higher educational level and a better perception about the society. Critical thinking has replaced a pathetic confrontation towards status quo and citizens are expected to be more active and participate in political and public sphere. Therefore, public spacesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; design should reflect the way people experience the city, since form is the representation of the
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functions of society. Public spaces are one of the most important elements in the city, signifying the need of people to encounter and form societies. The propensity to communication is embedded in human genes and therefore people create communities, cities and groups (Aristotle, 1997), procedures supported through public spaces. During the observation and public consultation research, it was confirmed that people and activities make public spaces successful and that they need to encounter in public spaces even if they are not fully satisfied. However, a well-designed public space is not adequate to promote community spirit or sustain democracy. Democracy can be sustained through the unpredictability that unorganized and unofficial public encounter entails (Arendt, 1965). Thus, a public space can function as a domain that catalyses the emergence of active citizenship and sustains citizen participation; and promote democratic principles and processes. Democratic societies should enforce citizen participation, through which all citizens can be active members of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;demosâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C;where demos can be described as an active community that has a concern about public life and society. One of the most important functions of public spaces is to uphold these encounters of this community and, thus, to contribute to upholding democratic constitutions. Since democracy is defined as the domination of the will of the community, the lack of citizen participation to the decision making risks its proper function. It also entails lack of identification, lack of equal accessibility and limited use, characteristics found in Catanzaro Lido. Until now, the examples of urban regeneration in Calabria demonstrate an approach based on physical planning that excluded citizens from planning and decision making. Therefore, an intervention that functions as a catalyst to participation and democracy is crucial. In order for democratic principles to be enforced in the city, people should be encouraged to engage actively in the creation and usage of public spaces, through participatory processes and interactive infrastructure. The international examples included in this project, present ways of engaging people during the use of public space and bottom-up processes that increase citizen participation in city administration. They demonstrate the importance and the effectiveness of people collaborating to achieve
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a purpose. It is, thus, believed that space should provide the physical space where people cooperate, work together for community and societal purposes and communicate wishes, wills and skills. This project approaches public spaces as places that support functions for the perpetuation of a city and a community. It aims to demonstrate that a way of thinking cannot change through a simple arrangement of space. The first step should be informing people through their participation in the project of regeneration of Magna Grecia area. Embedding citizens into the regeneration process leads to raising of awareness and information exchange on issues related to urban development, participation, environment and sustainability; as well as cooperation for a collective purpose and, in turn, nurtures a culture of collectiveness. It also leads to the creation of an interactive and expressive public space, which people can identify with. Participation can absorb the existing groups of active citizens, but can also provide access to people that are seeking a way to channel ideas and energy or others that will get interested during the process. This can increase the amount of citizens that are actually involved and introduce a new meaning of â&#x20AC;&#x153;citizenâ&#x20AC;? in Catanzaro Lido through practices of participation, deliberative discussion and political conversation. The proposed arrangement of the space in Magna Grecia area would be the second step, through the provision of elements that produce a form of interaction among the users and the space and demonstrate attributes related to publicness, accessibility, responsiveness to diversity and freedom of expression. The project focuses on magna Grecia area, but also provides recommendations and a general restructuring of public spaces that will lead to a refurbishment of all the public spaces. The planning was based on the feedback gained from the public consultation in order to be responsive. The goal is to create a network and to give general principles using the potential of Magna Grecia area to be fully integrated and regenerated according to the needs of the surrounding settlement and its population. According to this project, the city of the future should be able to offer space to the engaged citizens and provide the appropriate structures that can permit to citizens to participate. Since public spaces are shaped by
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society, they need to be restructured in order to form the society of the future. Thus, as a third step, the possibility of changing and reformation of the public space arrangement will sustain it active and flexible for the needs of the upcoming years. It is also expected to enable more people to the process, activating the community. It provides an additional view on the tools that can be used for public engagement and the promotion of civil society. The creation of a process that facilitates citizens’ initiatives will enhance the organisation of activities, according to citizens’ will and make them more attractive. Through this, public spaces of Catanzaro Lido will reflect the society of its future. As far as limitations of research are concerned, it is noted that a larger sample of questionnaires and a questionnaire survey to stakeholders would have provided a more holistic image of Catanzaro Lido’s community opinions. However, the constraint of time and their structure as interviews could not allow a larger amount of questionnaires within the current study. The open questions aimed to leave space for more information and feedback by the citizens. The public consultation provides only initial inputs to the research without being able to present a finalised perspective of citizens’ beliefs. The analysis of the study focuses mainly on the social aspect of public spaces. It does not analyse issues related to environmental planning, economic development or use of alternative energy sources. Although the importance of these aspects is acknowledged by the author, it is believed that awareness and, in turn, activation of citizens can provide solutions for all the challenges Catanzaro Lido faces. The diversity of society can be activated into public space through cooperation. The proposal for Catanzaro Lido’s public space network provides only a general structure for their reorganisation, without moving on with detailed planning. It is clearly stated that in order to proceed to a regeneration of a single public space in Catanzaro Lido, a different, more detailed type of study would be required. Finally, albeit the project proposes an engagement process, it does not propose engagement tools or participatory design techniques, since this falls into another project category. One of the main outcomes of this thesis is expected to be succeeded through its realisation, since the cooperation of citizen groups will bring forward more issues, solutions and possibilities. Therefore, the future
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research would be developed on its evolution depended on the inputs from people involved. Another further research could draw on a comparison of the current project to other existing cases of management by the citizens, which have been developed spontaneously. “Magna Graecia” symbolises the start of a new era that was stigmatised by the creation of a new culture, based on the exchange of cultural elements among two civilisations: Italian and Greek. This cultural exchange is visible until the current era and it is a reminder that exchange is an inextricable characteristic of societies’ continuation and evolution. Respectively, the current regeneration of “Magna Grecia” area aims to create a new way of experiencing public spaces, which is based on the acquaintance and exchange among the existing populations of the wider area. It calls for a community-led local development that follows principles of active participation and democracy.
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4.2. Recommendations Public authorities in Catanzaro should recognise and promote the values of public spaces for urban well-being as far as environment, economy and society is concerned. The municipality should adjust its strategy in order to promote and sustain these values through a long term plan. Therefore, the municipality of Catanzaro should create a comprehensive public space agenda, as described in the proposal for the public space network in the previous chapter. The agenda foresees the development, evolution and management of existing or potential public spaces. The agenda shall include public spaces both of Catanzaro City and Catanzaro Lido and ensure that public spaces of all districts function in a coherent and complementary way, in terms of hierarchy, function, service and catchment area. Catanzaroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s municipality should develop a strategy that is adjustable to changes, able to recognise false choices and willing to correct them. The municipality should ensure the periodical assessment through a circular process of examination, testing, questionnaires to find out what works and what not for the community. Through this, public space goals can be created for the community that strengthen existing successes and improve areas that are underperforming. This is also connected to the ability of public spaces to evolve and change along with the community. This strategy could be supported through the creation of an accessible platform where people can express opinions, ideas and complaints; facilitate the reciprocal dialogue among citizens and local authorities and ensure collaboration. Urban regeneration projects should be based on open selection procedures and competitions that allow vast participation. This can create the foundation for a larger circulation of ideas and promote young entrepreneurship and creativity. It would be a first step in the establishment of a meaningful exchange among the authorities and citizens. Urban regeneration projects, like the present, could be combined with current European programmes (e.g. Europe for Citizens) and, therefore, promote extroversion towards European Union, providing the opportunity for cooperation, exchange and funding.
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Action Plan for stakeholders Municipality
create a comprehensive public space agenda form a comprehensive long term plan promote collaborations to other stakeholders create and sustain communication channels to stakeholders and citizens (website, forums) facilitate the organisation of activities and initiatives allow a circular process of examination, testing and questionnaires to ensure periodical assessment on public spaces
University
organise cultural activities open to the public collaborate and support smaller related initiatives
Schools
organise courses and activities open to the public support local educational activities
Chamber of commerce
organise at public space open markets to promote local productivity and enhance the commercial activity
Associations
promote their work and share knowledge contribute to the design through practical knowledge and expertise
Architects/ Urbanists
collaborate with non-experts insert in the design elements that can engage people with impairments
Citizens
collaborate and form groups of interest initiate activities and contribute to the management of the public space through regular meetings and website collaborate with the local authorities express their opinion and share practical knowledge contribute to the periodical assessment
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A public engagement regulation should be established that brings together institutions and community stakeholders with local residents and professionals. Citizens should be recognised by the institutional system as an important part of the local development policy and planning strategy. Insights given by the citizens such as historical perspective and functions will help to create a sense of ownership of public and urban space. It would also support local and cultural rituals and therefore enhance cultural identity. Empowering citizens through local initiatives enhances all the other principles necessary to create a positive public realm with attractive, responsive and well-used public spaces that truly reflect the needs and values of the community they live in. The removal of bureaucratic obstacles in participation and development of bottom-up initiatives would strengthen the inclusion and lead to consensus building and cooperational structures.
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References Amin, A. (2008) ‘Collective culture and urban public space’, City, 2, 1: 5-24. Aristotle (1997) Politics. Trans. in Greek Tzioka – Evaggelou, P., Thessaloniki: Zitros. Arendt, H. (1958) The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Arnstein S. (1969) ‘A ladder of citizen participation’, AIP Journal, 35, 4: 216-224. Auditoria Ciudadana (2014), Local Citizen Audit - OCM Project. Available: https://w w w.youtube.com/watch?v=PsHmSvGBPks#t=133 [Accessed 02 Jul 2014] Badger, E. (2012) What makes a public space good for democracy. [online] Citylab.
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Lofland, H.L. (1998) The Public Realm: Exploring the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Quintessential Social Territory [online]. New York: Transaction Publishers. Available: http://books.google.gr/books?id=vckzR8aHfJIC&printsec=frontcover&hl=el#v=onepage&q&f=false. [Accessed 11 Jun 2014] Lynch, K. (1960) The image of the city, Cambrige, MA: MIT Press. Sennett, R. (2012) Together: The Rituals, Pleasures, and Politics of Cooperation, New Haven: Yale University Press.
It is mentioned that the figures, images and maps included in the project is producted by the author, or otherwise specified. The maps created using chartographic background of Google maps or Drawing Files provided by Fisd Consortium. Icons used in this project include: Website by Wilson Joseph, Meeting by Ainsley Wagoner, Presentation by Takao Umehara, Committee Speech by Krisada, Brainstorm by Jessica Lock, Community by Roger Cline, Meeting by Scott Lewis, Gears by Luis Prado, Gears by deadtype , Protest by Chris Kerr, Hand by Stephen Borengasser, Garden by birdie brain, Map by jessie_ vp, User by Luis Prado, Paint Brush by P.J. Onori, Community by Stephen Plaster from The Noun Project [Available: www.thenounproject.com]
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Appendix
Population Data
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Questionnaire Format
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