Farsi Spazio in Piazza Emilia. Riflessioni critiche su un processo partecipato tra forestazione urbana e pratiche di riappropriazione collettiva nel quartiere Barco di Ferrara

This paper offers a critical reflection on a participatory process developed within an urban forestation project in the Barco and Pontelagoscuro neighbourhoods of Ferrara, taken as a situated case study to examine the relationship between institutional devices and practices of reappropriation of public space. Through the analysis of the co-design phases and the temporary transformation of Piazza Emilia, the paper discusses the limits and potentialities of structured participatory models, highlighting procedural rigidities, selective inclusiveness, and the gap between emerging imaginaries and their actual implementation. The experience also reveals the value of temporary practices and local experimentation, as well as the role of academic research as an intermediary actor of observation, translation, and support within processes of spatial transformation oriented toward the common good.