The death of participation in naples

Participation has never been taken into great consideration by Neapolitan decision-makers, let alone participation to programs, projects and plans dealing with urban and town planning issues. Up to twenty years ago for politicians and lawmakers governing the city and managing urban transformations, producing participation meant letting citizens exert their right to make observations on the urban plan according to law 1150 of 1942, or at the most, letting their voters represent them when it came to evaluate the adequacy of decisions for the future of the city. After all there has always been plenty of rhetoric justifying this stance. Such rhetoric was – and still is - based on the grounds that governing Naples means fighting against something very complex, therefore those in power feel for some reason that they are authorized not to undertake any pathways that would make this complexity even more intricate. In the name of the emergency that has always afflicted the city, citizens are requested – sometimes forced – not to disturb the “driver”. This trend to cut down on participation, considering it as a luxury we cannot afford, makes the difference between Naples and other Italian cities like Turin and Rome, where participation is now permanently an item on urban planners agendas.