Grass-roots participation to enhance public real estate properties. Just a fad?

Abstract

Public real estate asset development is at the core of the agenda for both the Italian central government and local administrators. In many areas of the country, public real assets have changed their role and their function: public property represents no longer just a reserve of financial value and has become a resource for grass-roots social, cultural and entrepreneurial regeneration processes.The aim of the paper is to investigate the nature of such initiatives. In particular, the purpose is to verify whether they are transient or long-lasting and if they can define a new frame for urban regeneration policies.Ten case studies have been analyzed in order to reflect the great variety of experiences developed throughout Italy. The methodology we used integrates desk research and in-depth interviews with the project initiators and with local administrators.The findings reveal contradictions reflecting cultural and administrative different options. Local governments entrust grass-roots public assets redevelopment for tactical or strategic reasons. In the first case, authorities-assuming a temporary market failure-may tactically grant the use of non-strategic assets to self-organized groups while waiting for a market recovery. In the latter one, local authorities-assuming potentially newurban regeneration models-pursue a strategic approach supporting bottom-up enhancement processes as a resource for the community development.