Draft - Slides prepared for the 11th conference of the European Sociological Association "Crisis, Critique and Change" - Turin, 28-31 August 2013. Research Stream: Urban Sociology Session: Urban Sociology and Public Spaces in Times of Crisis and Change

1. Luca Daconto
Dipartimento di Sociologia e Ricerca Sociale - Università di Milano Bicocca
Gabriele Manella
Dipartimento di Sociologia e Diritto dell’Economia - Università di Bologna

2. Outline
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in Times of Crisis and Change
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• City, public domain and public space;
• The public space in the contemporary city;
• Case study: the Public Library Sala Borsa;
• Sala Borsa as an innovative public space;
• Population and uses of Sala Borsa;
• The interviewees’ point of view;
• Sala Borsa in the debate on contemporary urban public space;

3. City, public domain and public space
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in Times of Crisis and Change
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 Greek Polis & European Civitas: a collective and shared public space;
 Public Sphere and Public Space: a necessary distinction;
 The Public Realm of city: heterogeneity and accessibility;
 A World of Strangers;
 Inter-visibility regimes: thresholds in public space;

4. contemporary city and public space
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in Times of Crisis and Change
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 Metropolitan Archipelago;
 The fall of the public man: intimacy and self-segregation;
 Urban populations: different paths in space and time;
 The competition to access public space;
 Global city and the commodification of space;
 Public space and marginal groups;
 The end of public space in the contemporary city?

5. METHODOLOGY
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o Direct observation:
January 2012 – January 2013
51 days & 78 observations  80 hours
o 15 semi-structured Interviews with key informants
o Post-it (I like Sala Borsa because ….)
o Various Sources (newspapers; webpages; documents; etc.)

6. CASE STUDY:
The public library SALA BORSA
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Source: bibliotecasalaborsa.it

7. Torino, 28-31 August
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in Times of Crisis and Change
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8. Torino, 28-31 August
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in Times of Crisis and Change
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9. Torino, 28-31 August
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in Times of Crisis and Change
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10. Torino, 28-31 August
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in Times of Crisis and Change
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11. Torino, 28-31 August
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in Times of Crisis and Change
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12. POPULATIONS AND USES
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 Students and the “invasion” of Sala Borsa
 The homeless: a shelter, an anchor, a resource, a precarious equilibrium
 Immigrants: between internet lounge, Esedra and the steps
 Other important populations: the elderly, the tourists and families with kids

13. SALA BORSA as a public space
the respondents’ point of view
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openness
gratuity
meeting place
heterogeneity
neutrality
symbol
beauty of the architectural setting
user-friendly
citizenship

14. SALA BORSA & CONTEMPORARY
URBAN PUBLIC SPACES
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• Public, Parochial & Private Realm
• First, Second (& Third) Place  mostly Passive Engagement with the
Environment
• Innovation (but not commodification)
• Open & Neutral  Right to the City (i.e., Homeless  citizens not just
assisted), inclusive inter-visibility regime
• Throwntogetherness
• Role of rhythms of use

15. References
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• Agnoli, A., 2009. Le piazze del sapere, Roma-Bari: Laterza.
• Arendt, H., 2000. Vita activa, Milano: Bompiani.
• Amin, A., 2008. Collective culture and urban public space. City, 12(1), pp.5–24.
• Brighenti, A., 2010. The Publicness of Public Space: On the Public Domain. Dipartimento di
Sociologia e Ricerca Sociale dell'Università di Trento, Quaderno 49, marzo 2010.
• Carr, S. et al., 1992. Public Space, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Habermas, J., 1991. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry Into a Category
of Bourgeois Society, Boston: MIT Press.
• Lofland, L.H., 1973. A world of strangers: Order and action in urban public space, New York: Basic
Books.
• Mitchell, D., 2003. The right to the city: social justice and the fight for public space, New York ;
London: Guilford Press.
• Oldenburg, R., 1989. The great good place: Cafés, coffee shops, community centers, beauty parlors,
general stores, bars, hangouts, and how they get you through the day, New York: Paragon House.
• Paugam, S. & Giorgetti, C., 2013. Des pauvres à la bibliothèque. Enquête au Centre Pompidou,
Paris: PUF.
• Paquot, T., 2010. L’espace public, Paris: La Découverte.
• Sennett, R., 2006. Il declino dell’uomo pubblico, Milano: Mondadori.

16. Torino, 28-31 August
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in Times of Crisis and Change
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Contact & Further Information:
l.daconto[at]campus.unimib[dot]it
gabriele.manella[at]unibo[dot]it
Many thanks for your kindly attention!