A street-explorative and interactive-design laboratory

This article intends to throw light on the limitations and criticalities of urban labs set-up from top-down, by discussing the cognitive phases, the reflections and the results of a bottom-up path aimed at co-constructing a community urban lab. The lab aimed to create a public arena for discussion, self-organization, and collective designing capabilities within the district of San Berillo – a historic neighborhood of Catania (Sicily, Italy) well known for being the “bane of the city” to be eradicated and avoided since it is (or better it is perceived as) a neglected and distressed plac