L’emergere del Political nei processi di rigenerazione urbana a Bologna: movimenti e spazi di dissenso

Over the last decade, in the theoretical framework of the post-political theory, a growing body of literature has debated the key
concepts of Politics and the Political, critically questioning their natures and conflicting epistemologies and arguing the need
of a deeper conceptualization of the Political, their actors and spaces. In the context of the neoliberal city, urban regeneration
could be related to the notion of Politics due to its technocratic nature and the adoption of participatory governance oriented
to deliberative consensus. Despite of its supposed inclusive dimension, regeneration processes tend to marginalize dissent and
therefore are questioned by diverse entities that could be related to the Political. This article aims to illustrate and synthetize
the theoretical debate related to these key concepts. Furthermore, by reflecting on institutional regeneration policies in the city
of Bologna, it aims to analyse the rise of the Political by focusing on two urban grassroots socio-political movements: the social-
activist collective Labas and the socio-environmental movement Rigenerazione NO Speculazione, also to demonstrate the heterogeneous nature of the Political. Whereas Labas emerges as an urban space deeply rooted in the community by promoting an alternative urban vision through welfare and public space reclamation, Rigenerazione aims to advance the democratization
of urban regeneration processes by claiming socio-environmental and climate justice. The analysis of practices, positions, spaces
and visions of the urban movements enables a critical reflection on the heterogeneous nature of the Political, in conflict with contemporary urban politics.