At the beginning of the new Millennium global transformations of urban territories have opened the way, quite inevitably, to more and more complex and profound considerations about the places that surround us, the places that we have built, the opportunities we have missed, and those ones we must, instead, learn to grasp. Common ground, common places, common people, common sense, common tradition were the declarations of the 13.International Architecture Exhibition in Venice in 2012.

It is by now a widely shared fact that cities are a common good, so actions devoted to its transformation, requalification and valorisation should involve everyone. Ideas coming from citizens, associations, residents and ordinary people are easily available and shareable through the virtual world, thus causing drastic changes in the way of thinking and acting in the urban realm. We are in the midst of an unprecedented moment in planning. Although signs of hardship are all around, we see the emergence of a powerful, networked, creative movement of people who demonstrate that place-based and people-oriented actions are possible, despite economic or political obstacles.

A special issue (#1/2013) of the e-journal "IN_BO. Ricerche e progetti per il territorio, la città e l'architettura", published at the Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, collects research and teaching activities of different scholars involved in our "Past present and future of public space" international project.

The special issue of "IN_BO" was presented and discussed at the Biennale dello spazio pubblico, during an international session, at the Faculty of Architecture Roma TRE, on May 18, 2013.

The e-journal is bilingual (Italian/English), the default language of the platform is Italian. To read it in English switch the language on the top right menu, using preferably Mozilla Firefox.

People and groups around the world are increasingly producing their own everyday urbanism: their activities bring incremental improvements to streets, blocks and neighbourhoods through use, small-scale informal urban design and spontaneous interventions of micro-urbanism. Often the results are temporary but they can have a great impact on residential communities. They utilize existing spaces or require minimal investment, infusing places with value and meaning.

Often results are temporary but they have a great impact on residential communities, against a small investment, because of their immediate ability to infuse places with value and meaning.

Architects, engineers, urban designers and planners, can be part of these processes that link design and top-down planning with bottom-up activism for the common good, looking for commons-based solutions. But it is necessary to change point of view and to establish a new approach to urban design, a new strategy based on people and everyday spaces.