From alternative representations to prospective visions. The administrative subdivisions in Palermo (Italy)

Alternative representations of the city are not only a useful analysis tool, but they also provide elements of a conceived new version of lived space that can contribute to ameliorate the spatial justice of the city. This is even truer for intra-local spaces that are the reference scale for many public participation policies, grass-root projects and activists. In this paper, we present the case of Palermo where the administrative subdivisions of the urban space have been imposed – because of legislation about administrative decentralisation – on the historical and perceived ones. Alternative mapping shows intra-local spaces as places of identity definition and civic engagement. In our paper we present some examples of how local stakeholders represent their prospective visions for the neighbourhoods they live or act in.