Ricerc@Sapienza

Across the advanced Western economies, the ‘Innovation Centers’ phenomenon is growing in importance for economic, institutional and social innovation within contemporary urban ecosystems. The article investigates the emerging models of ‘Innovation Centers’ arguing that their dynamic identity can be interpreted as an evolution of ‘Urban Centers’, traditional structures for the exercise of participatory democracy principles in urban strategies.

The Architectural Technology has always proposed a correct approach to design,
considered as the core of the building process, by identifying appropriate tools in order
to manage its complexity. Such tools are even more valid today in the perspective of a
new social demand and a transition of the building sector to Industry 4.0. However, this
is jeopardised by the budget cuts in welfare and the University: professional degrees
and industrial doctorates are not enough. It is therefore more often necessary to refer to

This article offers a new perspective regarding new experimental paths of urban innovation addressing urban exclusion issues, designed to overcome traditional planning strategies delivered through public services; focusing on the recent outcomes and future potential of the development with a particular focus on the ability of individuals belonging to a local community to act consciously and directly in relation to the socio-territorial context in which they live.

Stimulated by post-2008 austerity measures, civic services and the welfare state are shrinking, while civil society is being called to provide support through bottom-up initiatives. Social innovation to design and implement urban welfare services can render underlying services more resilient to socioeconomic challenges, particularly through co-designed policies and entrepreneurial models able to reconcile competitiveness with local economies, and to counteract marginalisation.

The purpose of this paper is to provide new insights into mechanisms for successful implementation of social innovation and survival of social start-ups. Despite the increasing interest in the social dimension of sustainability-oriented innovations and the recognition of new firms among key drivers of innovation, social start-ups are still understudied in the literature. Aiming at a comprehensive understanding of challenges, tools and practices carried out by social start-ups, the research employs a multiple case study for theory development.

Nella mappa dei temi raggruppati intorno alla generosa formula “Food and Culture” lo street food, oggetto della riflessione sviluppata in questo contributo, si pone quale argomento trasversale tra il fascino della tradizione e della cultura gastronomica e l’innovazione comunicativa. Inoltre, l’aggregazione intorno all’identità del cibo consumato negli spazi pubblici e persino nell’agorà, la piazza, diventa una paradossale e utile sollecitazione etica, oltre che intellettuale.