Multi-scalar design practices in contemporary city

Abstract

Contemporary space needs to manage the complex transformations that distinguish it: regeneration becomes a priority and is linked to multi-scalar design approaches, for example, practices that involve top-down actions, promoted by government bodies and administrations, and bottom-up interventions which are based on participatory processes. In particular, the latter refer to planned or even spontaneous micro-planning operations: their purpose is to trigger virtuous regeneration processes that spread the beneficial effect from small degraded or abandoned spaces to the entire urban system.
Nowadays, urban planning research has defined some methodological principles that unite bottom-up practices, including the determination of key points, the identification of plausible future scenarios, participatory planning, the speed of intervention, educational processes for population and technicians, small scale interventions and the concept of creating places. It is possible to give new meaning to urban spaces by intervening promptly and in collaboration with users, limiting costs and transforming areas with no values into real places.
The perception of public space certainly has great value for urban design and participatory processes, as it allows for the construction of a strong urban identity. It is therefore logical to ask what are the elements that guarantee an acceptable urban quality.
In this sense, the new communication technologies profoundly influence the perception and interpretation of urban space: digital networks integrate with the knowledge of technicians and with the users’ ability to understand the city. The large amount of information solidly connects the city and citizens: the recombination of these data can offer new possibilities for planning and management of the urban organism.