Spazi aperti condivisi come catalizzatori di nuova inclusione - Shared Open Spaces as Catalysts of a New Social Integration

Today, the Italian medium-sized city is going through a period of demographic and economic crisis that drives people to search for new housing forms in peripheral ar- eas, in order to meet practices and needs of contemporary living. This phenomenon has determined (especially in the last decades) a progressive depopulation of the historical centres, frequently characterized by a poor supply of suburban services and inhabited by an ageing population. In Italy, most of the cities have medieval origins and the urban spaces of historical centres have always been the sites for important activities into the community life. In this regard, especially following the European Landscape Convention , national and international environmental policies increasingly recognize the strategic role that urban spaces play in the life of the community, as they can significantly im- prove quality and environmental comfort. Within the wide network of urban spaces, this paper focuses on the analysis of shared open spaces as catalysing elements able to generate new forms of inclusion. This can lead to a regeneration that not only acts on the building stock, but also on the social, cultural and environmental fabric of the society. Acting on shared open spaces even before on the residential ones aims to recreate a multifunctionality that can trigger inclusion and accessibility processes, re-establishing those housing conditions that already existed and that are unique to each city.