Drawing urban processes: a visual grammar to make opportunities for social innovation accessible and inclusive

Abstract

The current context presents a high level of complexity that is difficult to interpret, while also recognizing the need to increase environmental preservation sensitivity. In architecture, where building production is one of the sectors with the highest global waste generation, there is a shift in focus from new construction to regeneration and reuse, which are seen as preferable strategies for transforming physical space. However, a critical issue persists: the lack of attention to the content and relationships that make these ‘re-’ processes vital, leading them to the risk of reintegration into cycles of abandonment. This can be confirmed by looking at major funding calls for regeneration, such as PINQuA and PNRR, where attention to social aspects is a criterion that scores well, but no actual financial support is provided for related practices and activities. To avoid this anti-virtuous cycle, the situation suggests a potential reinterpretation of the architect's role: from designer of spaces to interpreter of processes. Architecture’s design tools could be reinterpreted to ensure the development of projects that are coherent with their context and future-oriented, thereby aiming to prevent failure.

Keywords: social innovation, visual storytelling, community-driven design, inclusion, participation