The Restart Begato Project in Genoa: A Site of Dialogic Experimentation Between Institutions and Community

Redefining and redefining a ‘fragile’ territorial context, such as Public Social Housing districts, is a complex operation. Indeed, they are places where multiple critical issues thicken: social, health, urban planning, architectural, economic, and management. They pose questions to different areas of public action and demand answers and interventions that are attentive to specific local conditions. Their regeneration needs place-based interventions that, simultaneously, are adept at coordinating many actors and different rationales and forms of action. The paper reflects on these assumptions, illustrating the process of elaborating on the urban regeneration project for the Begato, a popular neighborhood in Genoa, promoted in 2020 by the Region of Liguria, in agreement with the City of Genoa and Arte (Azienda Regionale Territoriale per l’Edilizia). The process, concluded in 2024, tested the use of participatory practices and envisioned new multi-actor collabora-tive tools. It suggests that such tools can be useful in enhancing the overall quality of the project and making it closer to the needs of the area and the community.