29/04/2025
From April 7 to 11, 2025, the Fieldwork and the second Training Event of the Erasmus+ project PSUGO – Education in Living Labs: Participatory Skills for Sustainable Urban Governance was held in Naples.Organized by Cnr-Iriss, the Department of Architecture at the University of Naples Federico II (DiARC), the Evaluab evaluation laboratory (DiARC), and Lido Pola Bene Comune, in collaboration with the Croatian partner SF:IUS, the two events combined meetings, training sessions, urban explorations, and fieldwork activities, involving students, researchers, associations, and local activists.
Coming from Palermo, where they visited the partner PUSH, the Croatian partners from SF:IUS conducted the Naples Fieldwork, an intensive qualitative research activity during 7-8 April at the PS-U-GO Urban Living Lab Naples, focusing on the analysis of local contexts and participatory practices. On the first day, the group examined the materials produced by the PS-U-GO Urban Living Lab Naples (maps, timelines, and context analyses), while the second day was dedicated to the fieldwork in the city centre observing the issue of sea accessibility.
The Training Event started on 9 and last till to 11 April. During the first day’s activities held at the Department of Architecture, energizer activities played a crucial role in facilitating participant interaction and creating an inclusive atmosphere conducive to fruitful dialogue. In the afternoon, an exchange session among the four Living Labs was developed to launch an open discussion on methods, contexts, policies, and stakeholders involved in the four PS-U-GO ULLs. The second day was entirely dedicated to a curated exploration in Bagnoli. Encountering experts and activists in each stops (Villa Medusa and Bagnoli neighbourhood, Bagnoli Peer, Circolo Ilva, and Lido Pola), participants could explore physical and symbolic barriers to accessing public spaces and the sea. Following activities, including a social lunch organized by Anema - La Cucina della Cura, were held at the Lido Pola Commons. Particular attention was given to the theme of "participation/protagonism" in participatory processes, discussed during a lively brainstorming session that generated significant insights.
The third day was dedicated to the public beaches of Posillipo — Bagno Elena, Spiaggia di Donna Anna, and Baia delle Monache — aimed at exploring and testing the accessibility to the sea after the struggles developed by the Committee Mare Libero e Gratuito Napoli, to the seaside walk till to Monte Echia providing an opportunity to deepen understanding of the area's coastal evolution. The curated exploration concluded with an encounter with one of the activists from the SET network addressing issues of touristification and the impacts of the real estate market. A concluding session including co-evaluation and co-creation activities was hosted at the Department of Architecture.
The Training Event also included two seminars delivered by professors from BTU Cottbus–Senftenberg. On April 8, Prof. Silke Weidner presented "Integrated Urban Development Concepts in the context of the EU Leipzig Charter", offering insights into integrated planning models, structural transitions, and participatory practices in urban and rural contexts. On April 12, Hendrik Weiner delivered a lecture entitled "From explorative teaching projects to urban living labs – hybrid settings for a new public-civil cooperation", focusing on hybrid models of engaged learning and co-design based on real-world experimentation and collective urban action.
The Training Event also highlighted the unique value of the Italian Living Labs — Naples and Palermo — compared to more structured contexts such as Germany and Cyprus: a more dynamic approach, deeply rooted in the real-life experiences of the territories, capable of amplifying bottom-up urban transformation practices.
The final assessment of the event was extremely positive: in addition to strengthening the sense of community among participants, the experience enhanced awareness of local urban challenges and initiated creative restitution processes, including the production of an interactive mapping reportage by the students.
Per informazioni:
Stefania Ragozino
CNR - Istituto di Ricerca su Innovazione e Servizi per lo Sviluppo
stefania.ragozino@cnr.it
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