"Livable Proximity is a passionate and compelling call for a remaking of
the city under a novel paradigm of relationality and care by one of the
most accomplished design thinkers of our time." - ARTURO ESCOBAR This
book is a contribution to the social conversation on the city and its
future. It focuses on an idea that has been in circulation for some time
and that, in recent years, has received greater attention: that of a
city in which everything that is needed for daily life is just a few
minutes away by foot from where people live. In addition, it speaks of a
city in which this functional proximity corresponds to a relational
proximity, thanks to which people have more opportunities to encounter
each other, support each other, care for each other and the environment,
and collaborate to reach goals together. Ultimately, it is a city built
starting from the life of the citizens and an idea of livable proximity
in which they can fi nd what they need to live, and to do so together
with others. The underlying theme that this book poses is thus the
following: can we construct the contemporary city starting from a new
idea of proximity? The response given is yes, it can be done. The social
innovations of the last 20 years in fact indicate where to start. Many
cities in the world, including Paris, Barcelona, and Milan have made a
commitment and are taking steps in this direction, offering concrete
examples of what this city of proximity could be: a city in which social
innovation, care, common goods, communities of place, and enabling
digital platforms become the keywords of a new and widespread social
capacity to design.
