Diritto alla città e responsabilità disciplinari: ambiti di azione e questioni irrisolte The Right to the City and Planning Responsibilities: perspectives and Unsolved Problems.

Abstract

Today it is self-evident that across the world we all - more or less - live in plural cities; consequently, the fear of the ‘other’ is growing in many European countries. What are the objectives and issues of planning research in these new urban circumstances? How is it possible to guarantee equity and justice, even while recognising differences? How can planning contribute to the recognition of citizenship and rights? Citizenship and planning are strictly connected and complementary. Whatever the (explicit or implicit) aims of any planning decision – each time favouring functional, economic or aesthetic reasons – every planning initiative contributes to a redefinition of the boundaries of citizenship, consequently shaping (spatial or aspatial) forms of social control. A redefinition of the boundaries of citizenship will always occur, as an effect of the redistribution of resources deriving from planning decisions, whether it is a matter of economies, spaces or rights. Local actions of participation, formal or informal practices of coexistence in urban space, as well as inclusionary planning initiatives, become all significant for a redefinition of the category of citizenship. However, while it is possible to give a theoretical formulation of this concept, its practical application is much harder.