The role of community in urban regeneration: mixed use approach in US.

The paper intends to investigate how the community involvement in decision planning process could led to successful urban regeneration initiatives. Starting from the American experience of “smart growth” and going toward the increase of the demand of mixitè in urban settlements, we argue that the involvement of the community could define a mixed approach in decision planning process to support urban regeneration toward more sustainable “supply”. Analyzing what meaning the mixed use has acquired, still ambiguous particularly in the US context, where it still represents "the exception, not the rule" (Grant, 2002:79), the core of the paper is to investigate if the community role within the decision making process is a basic and essential factor to assure the quality enhancement of urban regeneration activities. More in particular, the paper intends to understand the following issues:physical interaction vs balance in space and through time of urban transformationsplanning process community-led vs the key factors for successful urban regeneration initiativesplanning choices vs. functional integrationthe attitudes of local communities officials vs mixed use Based on some insights coming from the CLUDs project under 7FP Irses 2010, the paper aim at highlighting two USA case studies, Fort Point District in South Boston area (MA), and Jacobs Market Street Village located in Southeastern San Diego (CA). Both of them emblematic case studies on community involvement.