Civic design in Naples: public space as a vision for the future
There is a Naples that is transforming not only in its monuments but in everyday life. This is a city reimagining its squares, schools, courtyards, and urban pathways as collective, inclusive, and vibrant spaces. Here, civic design emerges not merely as urban planning but as a social gesture, a cultural vision, and relational architecture.
Space as a common good
In Naples, civic design is not a trend but a necessity. In a densely populated and layered city, redefining public space means fostering citizenship. Pedestrianized squares, reclaimed parks, and school courtyards opened to neighborhoods: each project represents a micro-regeneration involving communities, architects, public entities, and active citizens.
Concrete examples of civic design
- Piazza Garibaldi: from chaotic hub to open urban landscape
Once synonymous with chaotic transit and urban decay, Piazza Garibaldi now symbolizes a bold transformation. Redesigned by architect Dominique Perrault, the new square introduces a contemporary urban landscape where architecture, greenery, and mobility converge. Expansive elliptical flowerbeds, pedestrian pathways, scenic ramps, and clean sightlines define a space that is finally navigable, livable, and recognizable.
It's more than a square: it's an open urban ecosystem where one can slow down, pause, and observe. This project has restored dignity and beauty to one of the city's main gateways, reconfiguring the relationship between public space and metropolitan flows.
- Piazza Municipio: threshold between city and sea
The civic heart of institutional Naples, Piazza Municipio has been reimagined as a vast contemporary agora that combines monumentality and accessibility. The project—linked to the expansion of Line 1 of the metro—has opened new pedestrian routes, unveiling views of the Maschio Angioino and enhancing the historical-archaeological context with the integration of glass elements, stepped seating, and rest areas.
Here, civic design becomes a stratified urban landscape: the historical city, the 19th-century city, and the contemporary city converge in the same space seamlessly. It's a place that invites one to stop, explore, and imagine, amidst ancient port remnants and modern tourist flows—a threshold between monumental Naples and everyday footsteps.
- Parco San Laise (Former NATO Base in Bagnoli): from defense to culture
The former NATO base in Bagnoli, now Parco San Laise, exemplifies ongoing cultural and civic regeneration. From a closed military site to an open and creative public space, it hosts festivals, workshops, schools, coworking spaces, and artist residencies. The original architectures have been adapted without losing their identity, and urban greenery has reclaimed prominence. Here, civic design manifests as the collective reclamation of a fragment of the city long hidden from view.
Urban design as a social activator
An increasing number of Neapolitan projects—from temporary installations to co-design workshops—aim to transform marginal areas into relational spaces, even through modest yet meaningful interventions: benches, shared gardens, participatory murals, and accessible pathways.
A city designed together
Civic design in Naples remains an ongoing challenge but carries a promise: to make urban space a shared territory where beauty, function, and participation intertwine. Because designing a city doesn't just mean constructing buildings—it means envisioning how we want to live in it, together.
