Throughout Europe, civic spaces serve as vital arenas for democratic life… These are the places, the platforms, the events, where individuals and communities converge to engage, organise, innovate, express dissent, and collectively envision the future. These spaces are not fixed; they transform over time, thriving in some contexts while facing constraints from political, social, or economic pressures in others.
Capturing their dynamics demands more than isolated case studies or static snapshots; it calls for a framework that reflects their complexity, interconnectedness, and continual evolution.
The B.RIGHT SPACES CARTOGRAPHY responds to this need, offering a living, interactive, and accessible map that charts these spaces as a shared landscape of civic activity, fostering understanding, visibility, and dialogue across Europe’s diverse communities.
Launched in October 2021 in Encosta de São Vicente, in the former Matadouro area (Torres Vedras Municipality), Somos Comunidade is a community-based initiative that uses arts, communication, and social innovation to strengthen civic engagement and social cohesion. Through a local TV channel, a community newspaper, and participatory artistic workshops, the project works to reduce social isolation, empower residents, and foster a shared local cultural identity.
Located in the Encosta de São Vicente requalification area, Porta do Bairro is a community house promoted by the Centro Social Paroquial de Torres Vedras that operates as an open and inclusive civic space within a regenerated urban environment.
Barriera di Milano is historically one of Turin’s primary reception areas for new residents, currently distinguished as a highly multicultural district with a significant youth population. Key challenges include the concentration of poverty among specific social groups. Additionally, parts of the district are stigmatized and often perceived as insecure or prone to violence.
The Casa del Quartiere di San Salvario is a vibrant community hub located in a dense, multicultural neighbourhood in central Turin, close to Porta Nuova railway station. Historically diverse and socially dynamic, the area hosts families, students, migrants, artists and small businesses. The Neighborhood House explicitly works to ensure equal access to cultural, educational, and social opportunities.
The Via Cumiana 15 Collaboration Pact concerns the old abadoned Lancia industrial warehouse, redeveloped as a covered multipurpose square in San Paolo neighborhood. In this space civil society in collaboration with the Municipality and District 3, offers educational, cultural, and sports activities for the local community. Over the years, the co-management of the spaces has also expanded to the adjacent street, which has been pedestrianized, and to the neighboring green areas.
Cascina Roccafranca is a multifunctional socio-cultural center located in the Mirafiori Nord neighborhood of Turin. It was founded in the 17th century as a farmhouse in the rural area of Turin. With urban expansion and the end of agricultural activity, it was abandoned until public redevelopment transformed it into a Neighbourhood House (Casa del Quartiere).
The Giardino Pellegrino, also known as the Cardinal Michele Pellegrino Garden, is located in the Aurora district, near Piazza Borgo Dora and Porta Palazzo neighbourhoods in Turin, just a short walk from the famous Balon market. It is the only public garden in this area and has become, in recent years, a true point of reference for the local community.
The Open Jazdów Partnership (Wolny Jazdów) focuses on community building through co-management, creating networks of mutual aid and integration. It functions as a grassroots center for culture and education, organizing thousands of events annually within an “urban laboratory” framework.