Urban Civic Network as practice of social change and innovation. A case-study analysis

Social innovation represents a social practice that aims to meet social needs by involving communities in dialogues through participatory and collaborative approaches. One new and particular solution of social innovation is represented by Urban Civic Networks. However, considering the novelty of this topic, neither the benefits nor the role of public entities in implementing such practice of social innovation, nor the strengths of the implementation process are known, yet. This study aims to fill this gap through the analysis of a single-case study, based upon theories of social innovation and social change, referring to the City of Bari. Results show that implementation of Urban Civic Networks generates both tangible and intangible benefits and demonstrate that local government plays a pivotal and leading role in the implementation process. Finally, they show that the strengths of this practice are connected to bottom-up approaches enabling efficient knowledge management and collaboration.