CONCRETE brings tactical urban planning into the disadvantaged areas of the province of Bari. Citizens, designers, artists, architects will co-design and implement the project, which aims to expand the possibilities of using public space, making it interactive. The transformation of space becomes a metaphor for the potential for change, for the various aspects of individual and social growth. In light of the current historical moment we intend to encourage reflection on how to use public spaces.

Bari, South Italy, in one of its neighboring towns in the Puglia region.

The atmosphere in the province of Bari does not promote a vibrant social life, and opportunities for the young people who do not study and do not work are lacking. The participation rate of young people and adults in non-formal education and training is half the Italian average value. In these areas there is a sense of abandonment with repercussions on the economic situation and sense of community.
Cultural stimuli are limited, and left to individual initiatives or associations that often have a localistic character. The intervention of tactical urban planning aims to transform the suburbs into a gathering space, while also improving aesthetics.
We intend to create a space dedicated to public art, urban design and sport.

The project is open to the whole community.
The CO-PLANNING process will involve: people living in the area who are interested in the project, school-age students (age 11-18 years) and their families and associations operating in the area.
Priority of the training activities will be given to teenagers and young people (15-24 years) who do not study and do not work (NEET).
Public institutions are also among the beneficiaries of the project, as they will be able to participate, as listeners, in the co-planning tables, experimenting with the main tools for community involvement in participatory processes.

The completion of the project involves two main phases: CO-PLANNING and REALIZATION. In each of them there will be training and practical activities in the field.
The co-planning involves initial informal contacts with local associations and citizens, to listen to their needs and opinions on the space.
Online participation will be promoted. Then, the project will be presented at a public event. A calendar of activities will be defined and applications for working groups will be collected, to organize a workshop with every group. Then, the project will be designed with artists, designers and architects.
The transformed space will be shared in a day of celebration, to which all participants will be invited. All phases of the project will be documented and shared with the public.

The results we want to achieve are of collective and individual nature.
The community will benefit from a redeveloped space, more beautiful and functional, responding exactly to their expectations and needs.
The practice of co-design and the collective realization will generate cultural growth, a sense of belonging and care for space, which will be fundamental to management. Our goal is to share the skills that can allow replication of this type of project in the future.
The community would have had dealt with tactical urbanism, an innovative practice that involves art, culture, community activities and sport.
The training of those who will take on active roles will allow them to increase their skills in management of cultural projects and in encouraging community participation.

The creation of an interactive play area expands the possibilities of use and perception of public spaces. It can transform an anonymous space into a public work of art, which can also encourage citizens to participate in new recreational, sporting and cultural activities. The co-design and the collaborative process of realization generates a strong sense of belonging and respect that lead to the care and future management of the space.
CONCRETE wants to constitute a new meeting point with and for the inhabitants, within which the passion for sport, outdoor play activities and art become the lever of a profound re-appropriation of public space.

The idea to make a tactical urban intervention intends to give further value to the work that we do every day to spread the knowledge of the contemporary urban culture, of which we take an active role.
We believe that imagining, creating, bringing together minds, skills and sensitivity, can generate beauty, well-being, positivity, satisfaction and happiness, as shared values. This energy can generate a huge motivational charge, which involves us together with all the other subjects participating in the creative process and creation of an artwork.
This practice of imagining collectively teaches us to solve problematic situations in a diplomatic way, to live new and educational experiences and improve ourselves in the choices we make in everyday life.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT 2.000
TRAVEL/ACCOMMODATION 500
SALARIES 28.000
COMMUNICATION 3.500
WORKSHOP MATERIALS 500
MATERIALS 15.500

We would like to receive advice on public relations, sponsor research and partnership, on how to improve the image of the project on and off line, how to have support in administrative management. Any feedback received can help improve the quality of our work.