Public works, urban development, common goods

Abstract

The role taken by public works requires us to use them to address the need to govern the complexity of the contemporary city, focusing its development and physical transformations on shared goals. The combination of urban regeneration and public works finds an outlet in intervention strategies for the quality of public space, public buildings, and architecture of civic value. In order to make public works an opportunity for shared regeneration, planning actions should aim at framing individual works within a broader strategic vision, dealing with the management of services (cultural, educational, social) to involve communities and stakeholders in organising urban enhancement methods. The construction of the ‘public city’ oriented to the common good should constitute a continuous path that allows neither pauses nor retreats. It should activate decision-making and governance processes that enhance citizens’ participation and develop synergies with private subjects, focusing on the social dynamics of the world of work, dwelling and culture.