Urban Greenery and Participation: Transforming Cities in Transition

The case study examined in this chapter concerns the euPOLIS H2020 EU project (2025) in Palermo, located in a residual peripheral area that still preserves the remains of an important eighteenth-century garden, when the agricultural and monumental greenery of the Conca d’Oro was still present. The case highlights an experience of co-programming and co-design between the municipal administration and a network of environmental and cultural associations at local and regional levels, developed as part of academic research on eco-sustainable urban governance models in an international perspective. The chapter focuses on the participatory phase of the euPOLIS project in Palermo. The analysis examines the scientific approach adopted by the municipal administration to experiment with the direct involvement of citizens in the design choices for the new urban park. The outcomes of the euPOLIS project are analysed in policy terms, through comparison with other experiences of green space provision. The specificity of the case study lies in its location in an urban fringe area characterised by high-density housing, fragile social cohesion and the morphological and functional fragmentation of urban tissues. The conclusions highlight the strengths and weaknesses of participatory policies for the construction of urban green spaces. On the positive side, the case shows citizens’ willingness and interest in obtaining green areas close to their places of residence. On the negative side, the delay between co-design hypotheses and implementation leads to a decline in attention and growing disaffection with participation among residents.