Former military barracks as places for informal placemaking in Italy. An inventory for new insights

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper seeks to extend research on the role of informal placemaking practices in spatial planning and community development through an examination of their role in accommodating alternative or innovative uses in contrast to profit-driven projects. The research does so through the study of unauthorized interventions in derelict army barracks, which have been the subject of little research to date in Italy. This work addresses this lack of knowledge by providing a taxonomy of barracks that have been subjected to informal placemaking, such as arts and cultural activities. The exploration of each of the categories resulting from the taxonomy can be crucial in triggering new insights into informal practices. Drawing on interviews with key actors, literature review, and fieldwork from the period 2019–2022, the research identifies key dynamics that may transform barracks into spaces for social reproduction, reversing original intentions to create new profit-driven spaces.