Designing Good Life for All. Explorations on a Fragile Neighbourhood in Trieste

Abstract

Across Europe, interrelated crises – economic, environmental, social, and demographic – are increasingly undermining quality of life in urban contexts, with direct implications for the affordability of everyday living, and the resilience of the public welfare system. This paper investigates the evolving dynamics of multifactorial poverty, vulnerability and fragility within cities. Urban space is conceptualised as a ‘capacitating’ infrastructure – one that enables individuals, regardless of their socio-economic condition, to pursue flourishing lives. From this standpoint, urban design must transcend the conventional binary of domestic versus public space and instead embrace a networked approach that integrates housing, welfare services, and collective spaces into more accessible, personalised, and innovative support systems. These theoretical reflections are applied to an ‘inner periphery’ of Trieste – a medium-sized Italian city facing population ageing and decline, economic hardship, gentrification, and increasing strain on welfare provision. The research focuses on the urban district named Barriera Vecchia and its transformation into a supportive and de-fragilising neighbourhood. The methodology employed comprises: (i) stakeholder engagement through the organisation of discussion events and participatory placemaking initiatives; (ii) data analysis on housing conditions and the socio-demographic profiles of residents; (iii) spatial mapping of resources and criticalities – including the distribution of facilities and open spaces, and their inclusiveness and usability in relation to mobility, accessibility, and environmental quality; and (iv) the development of a local masterplan aimed at strengthening the connections between collective assets and service networks for vulnerable populations.