Città multiculturale: tre casi studio tra genius loci e inclusione

Climate change issues, increasing social inequalities and cultural conflicts challenging the everyday quality of life are the very core of the debate on urban planning, policy design approaches and tools. Discussing today a city that is an expression of inclusive and eco–friendly policies means exploring the material and immaterial characters of a stratified and multicultural genius loci. Public spaces are the places for testing spatial justice and accessibility to services and opportunities, as well as starting point for developing inclusive and place–sensitive regeneration processes. This paper, by discussing three selected urban areas, focuses on multicultural regeneration processes able to include different individuals and communities in the social fabric by enhancing inclusive and dynamic culture–led public spaces. The case studies of Belfast, Marseille and New York offer the opportunity to reflect on multifaceted and multicultural dynamics affecting planning processes, urban patterns, and social behaviours. While Belfast is analysed by capturing the spatial expression of the Troubles conflict, Marseilles is characterized by a massive culture–led regeneration process, and New York is studied in terms of multicultural stratifications. The expected result of this excursus is the identification of the pivotal elements of port cities to be considered in promoting inclusive and multicultural regeneration processes.