Creative Activism and Tactical Urbanism: Social Change in Milan through Colourful Squares

It is becoming clearer nowadays how space and time in the contemporary city still are designed, organized and governed mainly according to the needs of an ideal type of inhabitant: adult, male, healthy, rich, educated and self-provided. This archetype, however, is as dominant as poorly representative of the real communities living in the cities. Therefore, it is time to recognize the dysfunctionality of the conventional urban planning rules and procedures, and the urgent need to rethink the role of urban design, which has to become a tool for citizens’ self-determination. The leading role of every inhabitant has to rise, especially the ones that are usually harder to involve in the discussion, like women, elderly, children, people with disabilities and marginalized communities. Learning from the experience of the most disadvantaged will lead to the inspiration and empowerment of a new generation of engaged citizens, new key actors in the transformation of their communities. This process demands re-making the city by micro-transforming and taking care of the spaces and services located below people's homes, on a neighbourhood scale. Consequently, in this socio-cultural context, urban art and acts play a key role. Creative Activism and the so-called Tactical Urbanism have positive outcomes because they take “small” efforts in terms of expenses and completion time, and yet are able to unleash virtuous mechanisms, and reactivate the potential inherent in the social interaction, creating a wide wave of positive change towards safety and integration. Considering the temporary and reversible nature of these actions, they are continuously subjected to evaluation by the citizens themselves, establishing a real social and viable impact, consequently leading to decisions on what to make effectively permanent. Participatory art has the ability to transform the living environment, regardless of whether it is a small town in the suburbs or a neighbourhood in a large metropolis. Looking at case studies such as “Mural activism: Breaking the walls of gender inequality” a project by the UN Women Organization, or the “Favela Painting” by Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn, it’s easy to understand how these artistic practices improved the living conditions of undeveloped or underdeveloped areas. In this paper we want to highlight how Tactical Urbanism methods can have a big impact even in highly developed realities, focusing our attention on the city of Milan, in Italy. The municipality has given life to experimental interventions of urban requalification, through initiatives put in place by citizens and associations, like the projects "Piazze Aperte", or “TréntaMi in Verde”, reviving busy public spaces, taking space away from the dominance of cars, creating new open street meeting places for youths and increasing security for pedestrians and cyclists. Case studies like the regeneration of the area outside Parco Trotter, the newly designed Piazza Dergano, or the No.Lo. neighbourhood are perfect to highlight how creative activism is effective in transforming areas traditionally considered problematic, through short-term, community-based projects, that have the power to drive lasting improvements in the city