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The overall aim of this paper is to contribute to the reflection on the sustainable and innovative development paths of local communities. In addition, the paper offers insights into the relationship that exists between these innovative paths and the emergence of alternative forms of tourism established to contrast organized and standardized mass tourism, namely ‘niche tourism’ conceived and implemented mainly at a local level. Specifically, the research discussed in this paper aims at reflecting on the actors and strategies (and/or empowerment processes) required for the promotion of sustainable tourism practices. For the purposes of the field research, the case study methodology in a comparative perspective was chosen. In particular, four experiences were identified, two in Argentina, one of which in the province of Buenos Aires and the other in the province of Santa Fe, and two Italian case study experiences in small communities in Southern Italy. All case studies have specific characteristics, i.e., communities located in inland areas, with tourism experiences, and with significant projects in terms of values, motivations, and the capacity to involve both local actors as well as those outside the territorial context. The findings show that promoting sustainable tourism development of inland communities requires consideration of several factors, including the stakeholders involved and the strategies to be adopted to promote sustainable tourism practices in order to increase the well-being and quality of life of local communities. The case studies presented highlight how the empowerment of local actors and the enhancement of territorial capital are closely linked. Indeed, processes involving the local community can have a significant impact on the economic and social growth of a territory, through the enhancement of territorial peculiarities, which are at the basis of the construction of tourist and experiential products.

This study explores the central role of learning cities in promoting sustainable urban development through collaborative partnerships. Based on the learning city model, this study emphasizes the importance of integrated strategies to improve community well-being. It examines the role of partnerships in addressing sustainability challenges, echoing the objectives of the Jean-Monnet SSIASDG network. Furthermore, it addresses the theme of social innovation and the interconnection between economic, political, and social spheres to foster change in cities. Despite persistent challenges such as institutional constraints and limited coordination, this study advocates a paradigm shift towards prioritizing the collective good. By promoting partnerships and embracing holistic problem solving, cities can become sustainable and resilient drivers, contributing to a more equitable future. Learning Cities: Veicoli di sviluppo urbano sostenibile tramite partnership collaborative. Il contributo esplora il ruolo centrale delle città che apprendono nel promuovere lo sviluppo urbano sostenibile attraverso partenariati collaborativi. Basandosi sul modello della learning city, il saggio sottolinea l’importanza delle strategie integrate per migliorare il benessere della comunità. Esamina il ruolo dei partenariati nell’affrontare le sfide della sostenibilità, facendo eco agli obiettivi della rete Jean Monnet SSIASDG. Inoltre, si sofferma sul concetto di innovazione sociale e dell’interconnessione tra sfera economica, politica e sociale per favorire il cambiamento nelle città. Nonostante le sfide persistenti, come i vincoli istituzionali e il coordinamento limitato, il documento sostiene la necessità del cambiamento di paradigma che dia priorità al bene collettivo. Promuovendo le partnership e abbracciando la soluzione olistica dei problemi, le città possono diventare motori sostenibili e resilienti, contribuendo a un futuro più equo.

In the post-pandemic society with numerous social challenges, there is an increasing focus on public institutions to provide new services. The 2030 Agenda emphasises the need for sustainable and inclusive development, reducing inequalities in cities. This study focuses on autonomous and resilient urban food systems, analysing Social Design strategies for greater social cohesion. Urban Agriculture promotes environmental awareness and social inclusion by integrating innovative designs and advanced technologies. This urban regeneration approach aims to transform residual urban spaces into community parks dedicated to sharing resources and building connections between people. Through in-depth analysis and the application of new technologies, urban social and environmental sustainability improvements are sought. Article info Received: 18/03/2024; Revised: 20/04/2024; Accepted: 29/04/2024

Copyright of Agathon: International Journal of Architecture, Art & Design is the property of DEMETRA CE.RI.MED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Citizen and community-led initiatives have grown to tackle unmet social needs with alternative means than mainstream urban policies and planning. Over the years, the European city has become a field in which these civic, collective, social practices have consolidated, enabled by the fertile knowledge density of the urban environment. Several cities attempted to move from the management of the practices to one of political recognition. The city of Bologna is one of these, relying on its traditional attitude of working to fill the gap between the level of institutions and the one of civic instances, achieved with different degrees of success. Its administrative and urban planning process has led to recognize the city as a model in providing a fertile ground for the flourishing of innovative civic practices, some of which have been institutionalized over time, while others remain outside the political schemes. Delving into the narrative that has put forward Bologna as a model of good government, this contribution reflects on the trajectory that has shaped the city’s present capacity to enable spaces for dialogue, civic action, and co-planning with the constellation of urban practices in an analytical-evolutionary perspective that allows to trace its contextual and political configuration. The goal is to deconstruct and update Bologna’s narrative as a model, with a critical perspective on its development facing future urban challenges.

The contribution reports the results of a research carried out between June 2020 and May 2022, which was aimed at evaluating an initial trial of the implementation of Family Centres in four territories of Lombardy Region. The innovativeness of the research concerns the analysis approach of the Family Impact Lens that was used. This framework was developed by Purdue University (Indiana) and was adapted for the Italian context (FamILens) on the basis of a rich empirical base, which through participatory processes makes it possible to assess the extent to which services/activities succeed in facilitating families wellbeing according to 5 principles (responsibility, diversity, relationship, stability, involvement). The evaluation made it possible to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the new services, both in relation to the effectiveness of the partnerships and in terms of the impact achieved on some dimensions of family well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic drove the emergence of grassroots solidarity initiatives designed to alleviate the impact of the subsequent health, economic and social crisis. Some of these initiatives were organised collectively in a process which can be considered as social innovation. Taking the city of Valencia (Spain) as a case study, this paper examines the grassroots solidarity initiatives which sprang up in the first wave of the pandemic, analysing their features, their relationship with previous initiatives and their roots in the territory to make an initial assessment of their potential for social transformation.

The paper presents a reflection about the citizens' role in the co-production of residential care for elderly people, drawing upon the first insights of a qualitative evaluation research of the experimentation of a new model of service promoted by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region to contrast institutionalization of non autonomous elderly people who cannot be looked after at their home. This model is realized in scattered residential buildings which can accomodate a limited number of elderly people, and is based on personalized intervention, citizens' participation and co-production, as well as the personal budget. In accordance to the main current literature, the evaluation's results have shown different ways in which co-production may be realized and the different levels of power and freedom allowed to users. Moreover, it has been highlighted that higher levels of power and the users freedom need a coherent system of governance which is also crucial to avoid inequity and disomogeneous system of services in the co-production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the papermaking inventions that, beginning with the Flemish physician Andreas Vesalius' De humani corporis fabrica (1543), became part of anatomy books. In particular, flaps became the tactile and visual tool that allowed, by progressively lifting individual flaps of paper (lift the flap), to represent the layered arrangement of organs and apparatuses of the human body. These movable devices, along with others (e.g., volvelle) widely employed especially in astronomy texts, became the educational complements of the new science. The paper reconstructs, through some significant samples, the evolution of interactive anatomical books up to the threshold of the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to highlight the role of the territorial dimension in the diffusion of social innovation initiatives, specifically the case of “Rete 3B”, developed within the URBANA event, an event promoted by the Department of Sociology and Social Research of the University of Milan Bicocca. The specific reason for the interest in this topic has been inspired by the growing centrality of universities in the diffusion of a knowledge-based approach to urban development. Starting from the peripheral positioning in the city of Milan, Bicocca University, leader of the initiative, involved Politecnico di Milano and Università IULM to take part at the event. The sharing of the same territorial experiences and the same reasons that led to its genesis, allowed to encourage the creation of a network between the three universities. Since the Covid-19 pandemic occurred just before the kick-off of the activities, “Rete 3B” has been put on stand-by and none activity has been yet organized. Another complication come from the total exclusion of students in the Italian universities, which lasted until few months ago. For these reasons, the paper is not intended to offer data about the effects put in place by the universities’ activities, but to offer an in-depth overview of the processes underlying the connections between the three academic institutions by using qualitative data collected during the event “URBANA 2019”. The sharing of the same type of positioning in the urban context and the strong connection with the neighborhoods made possible a smooth collaboration within Bicocca, Politecnico and IULM, casting the right path to start, as soon as possible, the setting-up of shared activities of local social innovation.

The article evaluates in a qualitative and diachronic key the characteristics of self-sustainability and social innovation of the local development path activated by the Administration lead by Angelo Vassallo, mayor of Pollica from 1995 to 2010. This empirical reflection is read through a located and territorial perspective, and placed within the recent debate on marginal areas. The research topic has public relevance, as a a practice of ‘society self-defence’ where the commons represent the privileged lever of local government. Indeed, it is possible to discern, in it, attempts to reconnect the economy to the territory through slow tourism and the rediscovery of local stone, and a political planning that follows a ‘grassroots globalisation’ logic. This government experience, which ended with the murder of the ‘Fisherman Mayor’, concerns areas further marginalised by the pervasiveness of criminal economies. The cognitive objective of the research is to analyze how the territory is transformed when a public actor changes the way of conceiving local development. The research design is inspired by the territorialist analytical scheme, which observe the territory along four forms of space: political, relational, economic, ecological. The empirical research (carried out between December 2021 and January 2022) uses institutional sources (secondary quantitative data, municipal council deliberations) and interviews with privileged witnesses.

The Transition Design (TD) discipline is based on a design framework and methodology that prioritises social and environmental well-being and the goals of local resilience and radical changes in socio-technical contexts. Terry Irwin (2019) sees two aspects of TD as fundamental: the idea that entire societies will face a transition to sustainable futures and the realisation that this will entail changes at the systemic level. As part of the ongoing disciplinary debate, this contribution investigates the potential of new design drivers, such as territorial value and local resilience, linked to specific case studies that can be seen as best practices. The result is a theoretical framework of eight guidelines that aims to answer some of the TD process’s problems and model the requirements that can then be replicated.

This article aims to heighten our understanding of community managed cultural facilities, considering that these may be key for the future of cities. The research includes observant participation, thematic analysis of group debates and in-depth interviews with activists and professionals in the domain of community action in Barcelona. I document the construction of active collaboration networks of a wide variety of organizations fostering cultural commons in Barcelona, and highlight the efforts they have made to develop performance assessment tools. The conclusions consider the issue of mutual understanding between neighborhood movements, community action professionals, and the social economy sector. I underline how public-community partnerships can use networking activities to develop a constructive and critical approach to public service delivery and enhance collective learning about economic democratization. Vital importance is given to institutionalization of regulatory tools and the indicators needed to assess the value added by these partnerships. Experiences of local development through the management of cultural spaces (Klein and Tremblay, 2020) drive us to question the role of self-organized community actors in fostering the democratization of everyday life. Actual cases of community empowerment and, specifically, the way it develops in those environments known as the urban commons and the cultural commons, have attracted interest from both academia and the policy domain around the globe (Antonucci 2020; Feinberg, Ghorbani, and Herder 2020, 2021; Giannini and Pirone 2019; Kay and Wood 2020; Petrescu et al. 2020; Shah and Garg 2017; Steiner, McMillan, and Hill O’Connor 2022; Williams 2018). In Barcelona, over the last decade, bookended by the effects of the Great Recession and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been growing recognition for the socially innovative potential of those spaces and cultural projects set up by communitarian platforms involving committed local residents as the managers of cultural practices; at the same time, these initiatives have also gained prestige among the general public. As a particular manifestation of spaces of hope (Harvey 2000), community-led cultural centers are one specific subtype in the vast domain of urban commons where struggles are taking place to regain citizenship governance over water, food supply, energy distribution, housing or the public sphere, among others. As initiatives promoting cultural emancipation, collective learning and autonomous creation, these centers react against austerity policies and social vulnerability. Despite the wide diversity in their focal points, in their organizational formulas and in their scales of action, they coincide in that they act upon urban economies and social relationships to push for a general move toward democratization and decommodification. Thus, in addition to promoting cultural activities, many of these centers undertake initiatives that address a large number of current societal challenges. These are initiatives that envision the construction of other imaginaries of possibility. In Barcelona, the development of different initiatives into a political movement, with its own particular platform of associations called Xarxa d’Espais Comunitaris (Network of Communitarian Spaces), is proof of the existence of a ‘community-management’ model for cultural facilities. The network includes initiatives with a wide variety of organizational forms, from okupa (squatters) social centers to officially recognized platforms that run public facilities under agreements with public administrations. … the forms of community-management are diverse (self-management of squatted or private spaces, management of municipal facilities and resources, cooperatives in rented premises, etc.) and are not based on a single model of work but are defined in a variety of ways that have to do with values, objectives and organizational models, in terms of the management of collective needs and their relationship with the shared resources of a given territory (Balanç Comunitari 2017-2020, Xarxa d’Espais Comunitaris). In this article, I support the idea that understanding this type of management of cultural facilities may be vital in exposing how citizens can use specific demands, collective action and organizational proposals to gain the attention of policy makers and thereby claim their right to the city (Bailey and Marcucci 2013; Harvey 2014; Iveson 2013; Kemp, Lebuhn, and Rattner 2015; Novy and Colomb 2013). In this regard, this type of research includes an examination of bottom-linked initiatives as sites seeking complex equilibriums between institutionalization, community development and collective autonomy, and therefore it is essential for increasing knowledge on social innovation initiatives at the local level (Eizaguirre et al., 2012; Oosterlynck et al. 2013; Pradel, Eizaguirre, and García 2013). As for governance nodes for transforming cities and up-scaling their livability, the management of specific cultural facilities offers the opportunity to observe the limits and challenges of previous community development models that were influenced by neoliberal counter-reforms. The performance of these facilities as places where social struggles interact and where contributive democracy is put into practice is at the core of this research. But it also highlights the existence of other (or alternative) communitarian metrics than those related to enhancing individuals' social capital. With these aims, this study focuses on cultural management practices at a level close to citizens, involving them as creators and managers of cultural governance ecosystems, while rejecting the notion that their facilities are merely places for cultural consumption. At the same time, I give special attention to the relationship between these cultural environments and the realm of social economy, particularly the interactions between communitarian-led cultural management practices and forms of social economy.

This article provides a critical reflection on the relationship between two seasons of policy that have greatly influenced the Italian welfare state over the last twenty years: social investment and social innovation. Integrating bibliographic analysis and field research, the article explores two public policies promoted by the Veneto Region in the field of the family and youth. While highlighting both many instances of both continuity and discontinuity in the two seasons of policy, the article identifies a common thread that binds them, namely the progressive shift of confidence from the state and the market (in social investment) to society and the market (in social innovation). The main element of continuity in the two seasons therefore appears to be the market, relied on for employment and the development of innovative social actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scienze del Territorio is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Agathon: International Journal of Architecture, Art & Design is the property of DEMETRA CE.RI.MED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper focuses on the issue of housing in inner areas, presenting a project of the candidacy of the Campania region for the PINQuA national funding programme, which was launched by the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in 2020. The project is based on the hypothesis that it is possible to reverse the demographic trend in marginalised areas – characterised by a declining population, a high old-age index, a lack of basic services and, at the same time, a high potential for innovation – with building renovation and differentiated housing offers with high standards of quality and services. Through a systemic and place-based approach, the research uses pilot cases to experiment on themes linked to new housing demands, digital and green innovation, proximity welfare and social cohesion through a multi-actor and multi-level process.

This paper proposes a reflection on the connection between social innovation-driven social design and social impact evaluation (SIE). The author argues for a cognitive and learning function of SIE that can be conducted through the choice of methods, approaches and tools that can capture and enhance the innovations introduced by the programs. To this end, the construction path of the research design of the "Ri-belli" project, funded by the "Educational Poverty Alleviation Fund", is presented. The intervention is representative of the renewed system of second welfare, marked by the involvement of the private social sector in the policy making process and the desire to disseminate evaluative practice in the social sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic has resulted in increased social needs and risks that have immediately challenged the ability of social policies to ensure adequate protection. The article focuses on local welfare responses to this crisis with the purpose of understanding whether and how local institutions, actors and communities reorganised. It also discusses the factors likely to favour or weaken the capacity for local social action and innovation in both current and future context. The analysis of the institutional and social actors' responses originated in the city of Milan suggests that the pandemic has exerted strong pressure on local welfare actors and policies for the adoption of socially innovative modes of action and governance. This highlights at the same time some of the key features of recent welfare developments in Milan and, more broadly, the problems and potential of local welfare from a social innovation perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper stems from the «Progetto Pilota Natalità» in the province of Modena of the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy. Run between 2019 and 2021, the project introduces new evidence related to family policies in the Province of Modena. Specifically, we integrate primary qualitative firm-level evidence gathered during the Covid-19 pandemic with data on the voluntary organizations operating in the Italian third sector obtained just before the Covid-19 outbreak. We provide meaningful insights at the intersection of the public, the private and the voluntary sectors, while setting some guidelines to move forward in the design and implementation of family policies that are sensible across the territory. The study is interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and, as a result, is mainly centered around two themes: (1) the processes involved in the territorialization of public policy, particularly family policies, that entail local collective action levers and bottom-up resilience for the application of national policies; (2) the potential of these policies in terms of social innovation, understood as the joint design of a social infrastructure within a value allocation process between the actors involved, given certain time and space aspects. The paper explores the dimensionality of social innovation through the emergence and the scaling up of innovative processes as a result of devolved governance from national and EU levels to the local level, which gives precisely the framework of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade, especially the recent economic, ecological and social changes, have made it clear that the task of all growth actors is not only to take care of the economic interest, but also - and perhaps above all - the social aspect that may allow the protection of social values (in existential) even in the most unpredictable situations. Social economy, solidarity economy and social innovation are terms that have gained importance over the last decade and are of interest to both theoreticians and management practitioners. In the Polish scientific literature, the above-mentioned concepts are still - in the opinion of the authors - not sufficiently researched, therefore an attempt was made to analyze the Polish literature in this area, but - which is worth emphasizing - in a fundamental, fundamental aspect, in order to undertake a broader discussion on this topic. conceptual field by a wider group of researchers.

This article discusses and analyses the processes that are producing a progressive strain on social ties, the impoverishment of solidarity relationships and the breakdown of the community spirit. The transformations that the world is experiencing have a significant impact on the public policies and social structure and are producing increased processes of social exclusion. Social exclusion is here referred to the structure of social relationship and social ties that reveals the mechanism causing marginalization and the processes associate with it. In post-modernity, as a result of processes of globalization processes and social and economic crisis, the social ties have become more fragile, and they are affecting the stability of society. Solidarity, common values, and a sense of community belonging keep society united by legitimising social institutions to carry out their function and providing citizens with ways of learning (and exercising) rights and duties. The strain on the social ties, which in turn produces new forms of personal and collective instability, also highlights a progressive disappearance of public and social spaces, it seems as if social fora, communication and inclusive communities are going through a radical crisis. The article presents the first results of a social inquiry carried out in four Italian cities through a psycho-social approach named Listening Post. This research's aim is to explore and understand (i) the underlying dynamics of the strained social ties are under, (ii) the impact of these dynamics on individual and collective action, (iii) the experiences of "counter-movement" as a process of bottom-up mobilization for social creativity and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on history of the cooperative movement as a social innovation and subject of a solemn declaration of intent by the World Economic Forum of 2021. It mentions United Nations General Assembly has called 2012 is the International Year of Cooperatives and possible observe a trend towards internationalization of studies in this area. It also mentions global history of cooperation an unprecedented character of unity and internal homogeneity.

The paper reflects on the evolution of ‘collective subjects’ and civil organizations promoting grassroots processes aimed at generating social innovation. Focusing on the experience of the Participatory Presidium of the Simeto River Agreement (eastern Sicily), the paper describes the process of institutionalization that has characterized this organization as the promoter of a new territorial governance. The aim is to reflect on obstacles, tensions and criticalities emerged during this process. In doing so, we try to identify a ‘lesson learned’ for planning: namely, promoting a hybridization of knowledge that could make more effective and capacitating to support territorial actors who, through organizational processes and practices, try to create new institutional models able to respond to public interest issues.

Nowadays, there are numerous initiatives in response to contemporary socio-economic challenges. One possible response could be the social innovation phenomenon defined, according to Avelino et al. (2017), as the changing of social relations and involving new way of doing things. In this context, the aim of the paper is to discuss the empowerment and the social innovations concept by developing the empowerment mechanisms under a social psychology point of view, at one side, and exploring, in an empirical way, how people are empowered through transactional linkages, the translocal network. In particular, it is necessary to identify which translocal empowerment dimension is present across the European countries via the selection and the analysis of the possible social innovation proxies. To do this, it is necessary to comprehend the social innovation determinants at the macro-economic level across the European countries. Using the Akgüҁ multivariate regression model (2019), the paper studies the role of one possible social innovation proxy: the social protection expenditure. Under a methodological point of view, this model is used since it allows the combination between the traditional macro-level variables and the innovative ones, such as cultural norms and fear of failure; and it permits the inclusion of the country-specific characteristics. It also takes into account the macro-economic circumstance, the international financial crisis of 2008 until 2017. This period of analysis permits to control if the international economic crisis in 2008 might have influenced in some way the translocal empowerment dimension and brings together a panel data of different indicators from different data sources, such as Eurostat and Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), which provides measures of the entrepreneurial behaviour within countries. As part of the robustness check, we have used social innovation measures that could include country fixed effects accounting the heterogeneities across European countries. What emerges from the present empirical study is that the translocal network could be considered as a crucial factor for the social innovation implementation, since social innovation actors might access the local resources, developing, at the same time, the ability to interface with the local institutions, present in the current socio-economic system.

In recent years, many researchers displayed interest in the different types of social innovations. In the current research, the author does not aim at creating a new definition, but at examining the possibilities to generate social innovations in the case of district heat suppliers by accepting the previously created definitions. In the case of district heat suppliers, three levels of social innovations can be distinguished and the current research aims at presenting how they have been realized worldwide for almost 140 years. Its methodology includes bibliography research based on seconder research methods and its result is a summary which helps make the heat supplier systems of different generations from the 19th-21st centuries transparent. The purpose of the present study is to examine the changes in the district heating systems of the world by examining international literature with the methods of literature review. District heating systems are grouped based on the following aspects: the role of heating systems in the given country, price level / price regulation, the technical and technological characteristics of heating systems and the share of renewable energy sources. The study emphasizes several times the related current conditions and characteristics in Hungary. The results of this literature review prove to be an important tool for the author’s further research.

Il testo si interroga sul fare attuale dell’urbanistica. Prendendo spunto dalla letteratura, si affrontano quindi in chiave critica possibili modi di osservare, studiare e affrontare il progetto di città nella contemporaneità. A questo scopo, la riflessione muove dalla reinterpretazione della nozione di luogo a partire da uno sguardo immersivo nell’esistente. Assumendo l’esperienza collettiva come elemento centrale della città attuale, i luoghi divengono quindi sede concettuale principale di re-invenzione dei saperi tecnici dell’urbanistica. --- L’articolo riflette sulle dinamiche di abitabilità dei territori a partire da un diverso rapporto con l’esistente. La discussione muove dalle considerazioni elaborate dall’unità di ricerca dell’Università di Roma Tre per il padiglione Italia “Comunità Resilienti” nella Biennale Architettura 2021 di Venezia. Si tracciano quindi le caratteristiche di resilienza che emergono da forme di adattamento e mitigazione dei rischi basate iniziative di riuso collettivo del patrimonio esistente.

As Werner Bätzing (2003) points out in his book on Alpine geography, producers who do not emigrate and stay in the Alps do not act from an economic perspective but for social and cultural reasons. To resist the climatic, morphological and settlement difficulties, Alpine producers have always been driven to innovate, experimenting with new models, combining various forms of activity and independently creating the services necessary for their activity and social life. Today, after decades characterised by the abandonment of productive activities in the mountains, inventions as a form of resistance is once again one of the main themes of contemporary Alpine spaces. This chapter explores the issue of innovations in equipment, services and production in the Alps from two points of view. The first is that of a new generation of producers, entrepreneurs and project developers who are changing the way of producing in the mountains, by creating networks, sectors and services in the territory. The second is that of architects who experiment with new typological variations and constructive processes on the theme of production buildings in line with recent developments in ways of producing and working.

Cultural heritage can represent a key factor in circular processes on an urban scale that trigger relationships between users and the surrounding environment, generating new urban capital and enhancing individual and collective capacities. This topic is addressed through a review of academic literature and policy documents and a comparative analysis of two regeneration processes carried out in the cities of Bologna and Bogotà: the H2020 ROCK – Regeneration and Optimisation of Cultural Heritage in creative and Knowledge cities (GA 730280) project – on the historical university area, and the experiments on the former Ravone railway station of the OBRAS – Opportunities for Boosting urban capabilities project – developed in parallel on the La Sabana Station in Bogotá, Colombia.

Urban infrastructure in high-density metropolitan contexts constitutes an experimental frontier for improving the citizens’ quality of life and also represents a still undervalued resource in producing economic, energy, environmental and social value. Infrastructure such as the Serra Monte Ceneri Flyover in Milan, a source of distress and degradation associable with the idea of “wasted architecture”, can only be transformed into resource through a process of enhancement and a circular, multi-layer and multi-functional design vision. UNPark research is configured as an urban innovation hub by which to trigger reflection on the transition potential towards infrastructure multifunctionality.

Cultural heritage can represent a key factor in circular processes on an urban scale that trigger relationships between users and the surrounding environment, generating new urban capital and enhancing individual and collective capacities. This topic is addressed through a review of academic literature and policy documents and a comparative analysis of two regeneration processes carried out in the cities of Bologna and Bogotà: the H2020 ROCK -- Regeneration and Optimisation of Cultural Heritage in creative and Knowledge cities (GA 730280) project -- on the historical university area, and the experiments on the for- mer Ravone railway station of the OBRAS -- Opportunities for Boosting urban capabilities project -- developed in parallel on the La Sabana Station in Bogotá, Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban infrastructure in high-density metropolitan contexts constitutes an experimental frontier for improving the citizens' quality of life and also represents a still undervalued resource in producing economic, energy, environmental and social value. Infrastructure such as the Serra Monte Ceneri Flyover in Milan, a source of distress and degradation associable with the idea of "wasted architecture", can only be transformed into resource through a process of enhancement and a circular, multi-layer and multi-functional design vision. UNPark research is configured as an urban innovation hub by which to trigger reflection on the transition potential towards infrastructure multifunctionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of social innovation is the subject of active discussion in almost any country of the world. This trend is typical of Russia too, and the introduction of social innovation in our country was discussed back in the Soviet period. Taking into account the fact that Russian research findings are not included in the international discourse on a wide scale, we consider it important to summarize the experience in the field of social innovation and highlight characteristic features of its development. The paper consistently analyzes the works of Russian scientists of different periods; this allows us to trace the transformation of views on the social innovation essence. Addressing practical aspects in the social innovation development, we find that the main features of their implementation in Russia are as follows: prevalence of top-down initiatives, development of social entrepreneurship and the non-profit sector of the economy, and creation of support infrastructure.

This article analysis and compares two experiences of reuse of public property unused spaces, promoted by associations and groups of citizens in two important Italian cities (Milan and Naples). Through innovative processes, carried out with an energetic, provocative and incremental approach these subjects have given a new identity and form to some “suspended spaces”. The communities reached an urban and social regeneration by strengthening the sense of belonging of the inhabitants, influencing the work of the local public institutions and changing the functional and physical nature of these spaces.

Despite the prominent role of norms and values in public education policy and practice social innovation studies have rarely investigated how these are converted into practical transformations in the educational sector. The study therefore aims to provide further insight into the impact of contextualized and materialized norms and values in educational social innovation, using a remodeling process of preschool facilities in a Swedish municipality as an illustrating case study. Seeking to ensure equal and inclusive play, learning and development, the studied process exposes the impact of materialized norms and values on enabling and disabling rooms, furniture and materials in the preschool facilities. As such norms and values impact social transformation process regardless of the contextual specificities, the results may be useful also in other preschools in Sweden and internationally.

Social innovations (SI) are solutions which simultaneously meet a social need and lead to new or improved society capabilities. Although SI have been one alternative to modern societies challenges, little evidence is found on how this process occurs, including methods and tools. This research analyzes the state of art in the academic research on the development of SI projects through a systematic literature mapping related to the development of SI projects. Main findings are that SI development processes - from ideation to implementation and scalability - are not completely described, little detailed information exists about the use of methods and tools, lack of implementation results, and very limited knowledge can be found on how organizations develop capabilities to manage SI projects. This paper brings to the SI research community a landscape of approaches already used in SI projects management, giving ground to a research agenda in the field.

The article describes Puzzle Puglia information system, a technological platform built, according to a participatory logic, by social researchers and practitioners "experts by experiences" to meet the recognized need for social innovation in the field of vulnerable children's protection. From a procedural perspective, social workers who tested the informational system have considered it an innovative best practice supporting them in decision-making processes and interventions' planning concerning the single case. Moreover, from a scientific standpoint, using social indicators and standardized assessment questionnaire could promote new research lines and evidence-based knowledge regarding practices' effectiveness. Despite some limits that should be overcome in a final version of the system, the instrument proved its effectiveness both to support outcome's evaluation research and guide social workers practices and represents a useful device to prevent and contrast children institutionalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pandemic has underlined as never before the limits of the prevailing economic model, and the evidence about the fact that our life styles are increasingly assaulted by multiple (financial, economic, ecologic and about social justice) lasting and overlapping crisis. The ‘solidarity society’ is showing, along this crisis, an important response capacity, practising multiple generative experiences of new economy whose common frame is a pact of care for its own living space, fair with both human community and natural environment. The serious consequences of the ongoing pandemic, the end of which is difficult to predict, will bring just a return to the previous situation or an activation of the large and diffuse social innovation potentialities? So far, we have no clear signal towards one or the other. In any case, we can develop alternative action and strategies based on potentialities. Starting from the local level there is the possibility to experiment not just residual or testimonial projects but alternative models of production, distribution, consumption and savings bringing back the concept of economy to its primary dimension, the one to satisfy fundament needs of the community. If we do not reclaim this dimension, we will not be able to answer the issues of equity and justice, both social and environmental, which are everyday becoming more urgent and essential at the global level.

To deal about territory as a social construction in Covid times we need to start again from community, albeit eradicated from physical proximity. The social dimension of the community does not pertain only to experts and prefects. The word ‘care’, beyond sanitary domain, urges a job that starts from feelings, anthropologies, operating on the thousand uncertainties that characterize our society rich in means and poor in collective ends. Care as a path and opportunity to rethink our being a community of destiny, starting from territories of the margin dense of practices and experiences between environmental sustainability and social inclusion, to take to the centre for more habitable cities. To this end, it is necessary that social innovation tries to escape from the technological allure or ritualism of technical design focused upon innovation of means, promoting instead innovation of social ends and production of collective meaning. We need to consider social innovation practices not only as good news, but also as a collective intellect of new intermediate bodies, that is, filaments of new institutionality. There can be no green economy without green society, a collective intellect rooted into territories to create and restore social cohesion. In terms of governance, it would seem logical to weave regional columns to dialogue with the state pediment that holds and coordinates everything, and then go to Europe and the world to come… given the state of debate, an utopia.

Protecting against hazards and organizing disaster management are constant concerns for all human societies. However, current environmental challenges require a rethinking of the division of responsibilities and roles of each individual, both managers and citizens. Starting from the case of France, our research aims to study the social design approach from the perspective of territorialized social innovation, in order to better involve inhabitants in the face of flood risk. We will question the place assigned by the law to the individual as the first actor in his or her security, and then we will detail the conditions for the implementation of a creative workshop. Based on the results obtained, we will study the contribution of design as a factor of individual and collective commitment, as well as its reception by the actors.

Living in a territory means being able to take part in the “functioning of citizenship” related to moving, feeding, saving, buying, participating, taking care, thinking about the future, investing in life plans, assuming social and political responsibility. Living in a territory is the way in which rights related to the status of “resident” become ways of “being or doing” that constitute the well-being of people as citizens. Citizenship is a daily opportunity, dependent on the characteristics of the context. Irreducibly different from the romantic images that described it as isolated, remote, physically separated from the modern world of cities and social change, in the last seven centuries the Alps have built a complex civilization around the multidimensional axis of the “right distance”. Today, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, such “right distance” can be an antidote to the disorganized and individualistic escape of the wealthy classes who can afford it. Re-inhabiting the marginalized places becomes instead the result of a political reversal of the gaze, of a radical and collective change of perspective.

The article deepens the city-university relationship from the perspective of social innovation initiatives. It introduces the critical dimension of the new political economy of cities into the triple helix analytical model to help understand the quality of interactions between the actors involved in those initiatives. To do so, the study investigates how the triple helix works in the field of social innovation: it adopts a comparative approach and reconstructs some urban initiatives promoted by university and other urban actors in the cities of Barcelona, Milan and Venice. This study highlights a new model of action that integrates those presented by rhetoric, i.e., university institutions as key actors in local development processes. The process of interaction between universities and cities is now seeing academics—and not just universities—at the forefront of the search for contexts to transform fields of research into spaces of social intervention and areas of political action, giving a transformative orientation to research. For many years, in fact, academics have cooled their heels in university departments, waiting for the social demand for expert knowledge to offer to the others actors (e.g., industry, government, and civil society); and they are now leaving those departments to participate in the social production of knowledge. On the one hand, this new relationship between university and city confirms the analysis of the influence of universities on the factors of context and agency, while on the other it contrasts with the narrative of the entrepreneurial and commercial university that has been assiduously built over the last twenty years, often by the academic world itself. Instead, a population of academics now arises, who exploit the strength of weak ties in university organization and the hitherto weak institutional orientation of universities towards social innovation initiatives, to guide the universities’ third mission in the field of social and political action.

As technology continues to evolve at an exponentially increasing pace, it transforms our lives and societies, thus shaping our perceptions of reality with high speed and impacting the relationship between the individual and the society, including businesses and, as a result, the legal system. The young area of law is trying to explore the effects of new technologies in our relationships with it, as well as identify the best use of new technologies to reduce the gap among new technology, new societal behaviors and various legal systems. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current uses of wearable technologies in Brazil and the legal issues emerging from the various uses of these technologies and their impact on personality rights. So, to what extent do the Brazilian users of emerging technologies appreciate the terms and conditions agreed by themselves and their impact on personality rights? The authors used empirical quantitative data from a cross-section of Brazilian users to explore the level of awareness in regards to the terms and conditions associated with the use of emerging technologies and the impact on their personality rights. The authors found that the large majority of these users of technology are unaware of the adverse impact of the agreed terms and conditions on their personality rights. Furthermore, they are also unaware of the basics of how the technology operates and therefore are unable to enforce their rights. The research is based on data collected by using only one survey with a sample of 500 students from three universities in three Brazilian States with an age range between 18 and 40 years old. This paper extends the previous research on the impact of emerging technologies on personality rights and demonstrates with empirical data that there is a serious risk of erosion of such rights. Furthermore, this research provides a unique insight into the users of emerging technologies in the emerging Brazilian market and the impact on the Brazilian legal system.

The number of ecovillages – intentional sustainable communities – is showing signs of growth all over the world. These self-organized groups can be seen as agents of change that may contribute to the transition to a more sustainable environmental, social, economic and political paradigm. This article seeks to reflect on the ‘transitional potential’ of intentional sustainable communities as mechanisms that foster the development of social innovation practices. It is an exploratory study that debates the articulation between an empirical phenomenon, the existence of this type of communities, and a theoretical perspective, the study of transitions. This study is based on a systematic literature review to identify relevant analytical dimensions and suggests a conceptual model that provides comprehension of the phenomenon of intentional sustainable communities as a mechanism for social innovation and transformative change.

The dynamics of social innovation processes are of a complex nature and an underdeveloped research field. Social Innovation Biographies (SIBs) are a valuable methodology to reflect the evolutionary character of the dynamics of the social initiatives´ innovation processes in deepening the understanding of development paths, knowledge trajectories and stakeholder interactions at the micro-level. SIBs provide a comprehensive methodological solution including desk research, narrative interviews, semi-structured interviews, egocentric network analysis and triangulation as a step-by-step approach. SIBs allow to analyse social innovation cases and underlying processes in three dimensions: horizontally, vertically and comparatively. Besides its various advantages, SIBs also address methodological challenges related to the selection of critical cases, mobilising interviewees, securing the quantity and quality of information, overcoming selectiveness and reinforcing confidence.

Social innovation is a concept that has been widely used, both in academic and political discourse, and implies the development and implementation of new ideas to meet explicit or latent social needs using shared and co-produced knowledge. It is a phenomenon whose analysis has increased considerably in the last decade but, nevertheless, some conceptual overlaps and fragmentations still persist. This is a cross-cutting trend in innovation studies. This highlight the need to develop a more multilevel approach to innovation. Smart specialisation strategies are an example of this type of multilevel approach and require the identification of strategic domains that anchor the economic and social development of the regions. This development must also meet the specific needs of each territory. This article starts from the analysis of five Atlantic regions to understand how the social innovation dimension is present in the strategies of smart specialization. The results suggest that while there is an effort to integrate social innovation as a strategic priority, innovation trends are still largely based on the development of high technology.

The paper summarizes the main results of a three years research program about microinnovation processes activated in a range of spaces for youth operating throughout the Puglia region. Partially funded by regional or national public policies, these spaces resulted mainly from renovation processes of public buildings. Their environments offer a range of resources to develop and implement new projects in a work-related area, as well as in leisure time activities or social committed initiatives. Firstly, an exploratory mapping involved spaces perceived as innovative and particularly involved in change-making (Fab labs, Makerspaces, Do-It-Yourself Labs, Independent cultural centres, Spaces for ecosustainability and Community Hubs). A qualitative sample of spaces derived from secondary sources and an on-line survey. A subsequent research stage focused on the participation and learning experiences leading to the development of projects for innovation and change at a social, cultural, economic or public policy level. Narrative interviews involved manager and young people. A quasi-experimental evaluation design had the purpose to test possible associations between different forms of cooperation and the variation of self-perceived innovation skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]