What is Quality Public Space?
The article aims to reconstruct the public debate taking place in San Lorenzo, a neighbourhood close to Rome city centre. Its data come from direct observation and interviews, mainly with activists from different associations who express differing positions on a variety of themes concerning the pres...
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| Pubblicato in: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/qds, |
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| Autore principale: | |
| Natura: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lingua: | Anglais |
| Pubblicazione: |
Quaderni di Sociologia
2024
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| Accesso online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Riassunto: | The article aims to reconstruct the public debate taking place in San Lorenzo, a neighbourhood close to Rome city centre. Its data come from direct observation and interviews, mainly with activists from different associations who express differing positions on a variety of themes concerning the present and future of the area. These range from security and decorum issues to urban and economic development. How to address these themes will clearly have repercussions on the quality of public space, from both physical and social points of view.In the decades following WWII San Lorenzo was a traditional working-class area, which subsequently underwent deindustrialization and decline in handicraft activities. It is also very close to Rome’s main University campus, with the presence of students enlivening a vibrant nightlife. Consequently, the district’s economy has progressively geared towards entertainment services. In the last few years, however, the so-called movida has been attracting youngsters and teenagers from all over the metropolis, rendering night rest particularly problematic for residents.Research highlights two camps into which the associations in San Lorenzo can be divided: civic associations and radical Social centres. These groups propose competing general views of the desired trajectory of change in the district that can be seen to amount to two alternative definitions of quality public space. Finally, it is shown that the action of radical social centres is unable to construct a conflict and the sociological meaning of this assertion is discussed. |
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