Design in fragments. for open and flexible pubic spaces

The city as a place of coexistence, heterogeneity and the multiplicity of relationships that exist at all scales between different forms of life, involves a renewed reflection on the concept of bounderies. In its meaning of transition zone, this uncertain space in which the charateristics of a place or a region mingle with neighbouring territories, it can create connections and new relationships between people, identities and culture. The border can therefore be continuously transformed, conceived as a porous membrane that welcomes forms of contamination between languages and lifestyles. This approach is consistent with new public space design values based on a holistic vision. In the first part, the contribution investigates this question by considering the theories and practices of designers and critics. In the second he develops a reconstruction of the evolution of urban furniture and a critical analysis of its importance in the aesthetics of the city, also considering the role of paving as a characterizing element of its identity. In the conclusions, the author considers the importance of urban design for its characteristics of lightness and transience. This fluctuating layering is held to be a added value, a design exercise that through creativity, simplicity, participation and sharing, it can contribute to the redevelopment of small areas and fragments of urban waterfronts, according to the theoretical lines outlined by the New European Bauhaus.