Street Art and Urban Regeneration. Case study Gdansk and Rome

Street art has an important role in urban planning as a transforming engine to improve the public spaces regeneration and the processes of participation. The article points out two main topics. The first one focuses the urban art as a support for spatial and cultural strategies in urban redevelopment projects. The second one is related to the potential existing in the micro urban interventions as a strategy for a wider involvement of inhabitants and other social subjects. Two case studies, relating two similar social housing districts in Gdansk and Rome, are considered in order to find out if urban art can improve the existing state of uncontrolled contemporary transformation and their spatial disorder in the urban landscape. The data for the comparative study of two suburban areas (San Basilio district in Rome, Italy and Zaspa – Młyniec district in Gdansk, Poland) were gathered during several workshops, practice on location, investigation and interviews with the neighbours and the local administrators. The analysis is based on the comparison of public cultural and artistic interventions in these two locations, and issues of presence of art in public space and their consequences in practice with special emphasis on street art. The questions posed by this study are: What are consequences of such public art interventions for the regeneration and transformation of the public space? Does the participation of local actors and inhabitants in creating public art have the potential to positively impact future development of the neglected urban areas? Does public art play a role in protecting the urban landscape, in affecting town planning? The political and economic changes in European cities have resulted in dramatic transformations of public space. Many instruments, including public art, support the existing urban planning tools. In turn, public art plays a crucial role in promoting social participation and raising public awareness. This understanding of the importance of local actors is a crucial step for protecting cultural heritage and the unique character of the place and the regeneration processes of cities.