URBAN CENTER. Una casa di vetro per le politiche urbane.

Nella cultura di governo della città, il termine "Urban Center" (o "Casa della città") designa una serie di strutture il cui denominatore comune risiede nello svolgimento di attività di servizio per le comunità urbane ai fini di soddisfare la crescente domenda di democrazia partecipativa e deliberativa nei processi di trasformazione degli insediamenti. Traendo spunto dalla storicizzazione del fenomeno e dal confronto tra i consolidati modelli statunitensi e le recenti esperienze in Italia, il volume si interroga sulla maturazione delle missioni dell' "Urban Center" nel passaggio da asettico spazio di informazione a luogo provilegiato per la costruzione trasparente di politiche urbane condivise. Il percorso logico del volume si sviluppa seguendo un fil rouge articolato in quattro parti. Il primo blocco si apre con due tematiche che costituiscono dialetticamente la cornice di riferimento entro cui può essere correttamente collocata la questione degli UC: l’urbanistica partecipata e il marketing urbano. Nella seconda parte attraverso lo studio di casi si ricostruisce il quadro delle articolate declinazioni statunitensi di Urban Center, consolidatesi in diversi decenni di storia. Sono strutture fortemente caratterizzate e autonome per stile, missioni, obiettivi, priorità, modalità operative, ma allo stesso tempo accomunate da un equilibrato mix di passione civile e pragmatismo professionale. Il terzo gruppo di saggi è dedicato alla condizione attuale e di prospettiva degli UC in Italia, delineando criticamente una sorta di “mappa dinamica” delle diverse strutture attivate e in divenire, caratterizzate per soggetti ispiratori, missioni “stili” e protagonismo degli attori coinvolti. Il cerchio delle riflessioni si chiude nella quarta parte discutendo la questione dell’innovazione di metodo per la costruzione di un UC sia attraverso la dimensione teoretica che le potenzialità operative. Testi in italiano e inglese di B. Monardo (curatore), M.C. Bizzarri, E. Carmagnani, M. Carta, F. Ceci, P. Colarossi, L. De Bonis, A. Dina, A. De Rossi, D. Filippi, A. Giorgi, P. Laconte, F. Lovato, L. J. Osmond, R. Shiffman, O Tommasi, A. Uttaro; postfazione di M. Ricci

Urban Agriculture as a Socially Inclusive and Sustainable Post-Growth Urban Regeneration Strategy

The redevelopment of vacant land in post-growth and post economic crisis cities is a major challenge for public administrations, private investors as well as the increasing kaleidoscope of socially driven stakeholders; however, the imperative of pursuing inclusive urban strategies facing the exponential rising of migration phenomena have been rarely connected to the issue of limiting land consumption and boosting economic, physical and social regeneration in the most developed countries. Only quite recently within the general framework of “urban-rural” relationships, the “Urban Agriculture” is emerging as a practice which could prove successful both for giving new perspectives to blighted zones of the post-crisis cities and for tackling social malaise related to the massive migration phenomenon in western economy metropolitan areas. Within the scientific literature, the subject of “urban agriculture” itself has a long tradition in developing countries (see authors as Atkinson S. J., Braun, J. von, Maxwell D., Zziwa S.) and has been very much debated over the past 20 years with reference to major western world cities from New York to London, San Francisco, San Diego, etc. (see authors as Pothukuchi K., Kaufman J., Smit J.). Moreover, excessively high fresh-food prices and food related diseases in major cities' blighted low-income neighborhoods make the potential contribution of urban agriculture, as a re-zoning and land conversion planning practice within “food desert” areas, considerably valuable for social as well as health related objectives. Across the US, a growing consumer demand for fresh, local and healthy food is creating new markets for urban food production. Many of these efforts specifically address the needs of urban residents who are living in low-income neighborhoods to access food. Indeed, relevant research axes demonstrate the correlation between malnutrition diseases and low-income, socially disadvantaged areas which lack fresh food groceries (see Burton H.). Often identified as food deserts, “with limited access to affordable and nutritious food” (2008 USDA Farm Bill), or food swamps, domains marked by the abundance of unhealthy food sources, as fast-food and convenience stores, such areas are the most in need of efforts in the field of urban agriculture. Recently, the City of San Diego has changed its municipal zoning code in order to make it easier for its population to carry out urban agriculture and farming. Community gardens and raising of chickens, goats and bees have been allowed in backyards of multi-family and single-family zoned areas. Within the context of the EU FP7 Marie Curie Research Project CLUDs (Commercial Local Urban Districts), this work is aimed at assessing how urban agriculture can drive innovation in urban regeneration policies not only in physical and economic terms, but also and mostly under a social perspective. A specific case study of community garden run by a non-profit organization in San Diego deserves particularly to be highlighted. The “New Roots Community Farm” initiative is based in the distressed neighborhood of City Heights - “patchwork community” of immigrants - and it is highly interesting for its aim to revitalize “rurban” spaces through the involvement of refugee’s groups in urban farming. The whole neighborhood is considered a “critical food access” area and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an international non-profit organization, worked with other community-based associations, the City of San Diego and the San Diego County Farm Bureau to develop an urban farming initiative located on public vacant land. Analysis of statistics from the Census Bureau and interviews with involved stakeholders and community residents can help understand the value of the New Roots Community Farm initiative in bringing about regeneration and tackling food insecurity, health problems, and economic hardship through community-based food and farming projects within the city

Innovative PPP Tools Supporting Urban Regeneration. The Role of Non-profit Organizations in USA.

he success of urban regeneration policies – aiming at renovating public spaces and improving the attractiveness and accessibility of deprived urban areas, while reinforcing the sense of community – is in most cases strongly influenced by the capability to face the challenge of ensuring broad participation of local stakeholders and strong inclusion of residents. The importance of involving multiple stakeholders in urban regeneration process has been widely investigated (see contributions by Healey P., Osborne S.P., Reuschke D.) and some authors already highlighted how public-private interactions can support urban competitiveness and cohesion. Indeed, residents and community organizations have long sought out new formulas in order to guarantee wider participation in urban redevelopment initiatives and new forms of cooperation with the public sector. Such an effort has to be considered even more important because of the increasing scarcity of public financial resources, which have driven local authorities to enhance a general partnership approach and to support strong relationship with residents, non-profit associations, economic and entrepreneurial groups, private investors, other potentially involved stakeholders. Within the context of a EU FP7 Marie Curie Research Project whose acronym is CLUDs (Commercial Urban Local Districts), diverse “architectures” of Public-Private Partnership have been explored within the general framework of urban regeneration processes in order to understand how they are sustainable, innovative and really effective. In US particularly, three different models of non-profit organizations have been investigated (Community Development Corporations, Main Street Organizations and Business Improvement Districts) in different US contexts – Boston (Massachusetts) and San Diego (California) –, where Public-Private Partnership is a well-established tool. Analysis of statistics from the Census Bureau, interviews with involved stakeholders and critical overviews on related literature and press have been carried on in order to find out connections, outcomes and figure out possible lessons Europe oriented. One of the most interesting outcomes of this work, still in progress, is related to the confrontation of different but comparable initiatives as the Downtown Boston Improvement District plus the Washington Gateway Main Street Program in Boston and the North Park BID/Main Street in San Diego; or the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative in Boston and the City Heights Community Development Corporation in San Diego. The analysis highlights the issue of the “flexible geometry” in roles of public, private and non-profit actors and the different approaches that might be adopted to reconsider the leading role of municipal governments while proposing community-based solutions to public problems: the case-study exploration is not limited to underline the traditional features of some good practices – as quality performance in delivering community and social infrastructures, services and facilities or local community empowerment in decision making processes – but it also shows some of the problems connected with partnership involving community and public sector organizations, such as the leading (and sometimes meddling) role of public authorities supporting specific interests

Co-expression of endothelial and macrophage antigens in Kaposi's sarcoma cells

he histopathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) was investigated using immunocytochemistry in 12 skin biopsies obtained from two AIDS patients, nine patients with the classic form, and one organ-transplant patient. KS cells revealed a peculiar antigenic profile, being characterized by co-expression of endothelial and macrophage markers. KS cells were stained for von Willebrand factor (VWF); for vascular endothelial (VE) cadherin, an endothelial specific adhesion molecule; and for PECAM/CD31. In addition, they expressed the macrophage antigens PAM-1, CD68, and CD14, and were positive for vitronectin receptor and alpha-1,5,6/beta-1 integrins. KS cells were weakly stained for ICAM-1 in 6 of 12 cases and were negative for VCAM-1 and E-selectin

Cytokine production (IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and TNF alpha) and endothelial cell activation (ELAM-1 and HLA-DR) in reactive lymphadenitis, Hodgkin's disease, and in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. An immunocytochemical study.

Cryostat sections of 58 lymph nodes were immunostained with a polyclonal rabbit serum against IL-1 alpha, and with monoclonal antibodies directed to IL-1 alpha (Vmp18), IL-1 beta (Vhp20 and BRhC3), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) (B154.7). Furthermore the presence of cytokine-containing cells was correlated with the expression of endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule (ELAM-1; 29F2) and of human leukocyte antigen (HLA-DR) (OKIa-1) by endothelial cells. Cells containing IL-1 and/or TNF alpha were detected mainly in pathologic conditions characterized by reactive or neoplastic expansion of the lymph node paracortex. Cells positive for IL-1 were detected in 16 of 21 cases of Hodgkin's disease, in 4 of 4 cases of T-NHL, and in 5 cases of diffuse or mixed lymphadenitis. Interleukin-1 alpha was detected in macrophages, interdigitating reticulum cells (IDRCs), endothelial cells, and neoplastic Hodgkin's and Reed-Sternberg (H-RS) cells. Cells positive for IL-1 beta were much fewer and consisted mainly of macrophages. Hodgkin's Reed-Sternberg cells were negative for IL-1 beta even after in vitro stimulation with bacterial endotoxin. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) was present in macrophages and H-RS cells. Endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 expression by endothelial venules was detected in 17 of 20 cases of Hodgkin's disease, in 2 of 4 cases of T-NHL, and in 5 of 5 cases of diffuse lymphadenitis. In these pathologic conditions, HLA-DR antigens also were expressed frequently by endothelial cells. Cytokine-containing cells and ELAM-1-positive high endothelial venules (HEV) were extremely rare in lymph nodes involved by follicular lymphadenitis (12 cases) or B-NHL (16 cases). In cases of reactive or neoplastic B-cell proliferations, HLA-DR-positive HEVs still were present often. Our results indicate that IL-1/TNF alpha production at tissue level is often associated with ELAM-1 expression by HEVs, but is less well correlated with expression of HLA-DR antigens by endothelial cells