Experimental Participatory planning: cross-action in Ferrara at Officina dei Saperi.

The participated planning was born in answer to that communicative void between technique and ethics that had traditionallyattributed a deceptive role (because transposed after the process) to the non- institutional actors. The Urban Center ofthe Local Administration of Ferrara is about to realize the Project “Officina dei saperi” for a net among the shared practices.“L’officina dei Saperi” has the aim to be a permanent laboratory for the production and the sharing of experiences amongthe citizens through the launch and upload to the web of participative process. The project has as key factor “the care andmanagement of the common goods” stimulating the participation to the community life of all those citizens who are awareof the local political choices. The project structure foresees a cross-action among citizens, through the “shared practices”,and the public administration with the purpose of sharing points of view and planned proposals in some local areas ofinterest (fields) i.e. the use of the green areas, the creation of forms of caring neighborhood, the common planning of formsof urban renovation and environmental improvement measures, the realization of an educational wood, etc. More than thecommunity purpose, the Officina aims to transfer ideas and suggestions for the revision of some local rules, among whichthe “Guidelines on the forms of popular involvement to the local administration”, useful to promote social awareness ofthose people who live in town.

Keywords: participatory planning, social action, urban planning, Ferrara.