Puttilli, Bazzini
MEANING IN THE PERIPHERIES
A relational approach to urban renewal
by Davide Bazzini and Matteo Puttilli
The hierarchical view of the city, whereby the center takes precedence over the periphery, very poorly describes the complexity of the spatial relationships that characterize urban territories. Yet, the study of the urban peripheries is often lacking, either by failing to appreciate local specificity, or by ignoring those urban global processes that lead to the reemergence of local identities. Based on fieldwork conducted in the outskirts of Turin, the book seeks to develop an alternative perspective on urban renewal, one that favors the emergence of communities whose sense of locality does not hamper an open-minded approach to the outside world, aware of their history yet open to the future. Contrary to the standard interventionist approach, the success of such relational perspective is expressed by the increase of self-government capabilities of communities, of their self-determination.
Preface by Egidio Dansero, professor of Political and Economical Geography at the University of Turin.
Matteo Puttilli, is geographer currently studying for his PhD at the University of Turin. His research focus is on issues of local development and environmental sustainability.
Davide Bazzini, is a sociologist. He earned his PhD from the University of Turin. His research addresses issues of urban renewal and sustainable development at the local level.