This contribution intends to overview and frame a conceptual model for Cultural and Creative Enterprises (CCEs) that we call Platform Spaces. The paper contextualizes and discusses the main issues and challenges facing the CCE sector, identifying the need for more complex concepts better able to distinguish new policies and approaches being experimented with in Italy and across Europe. As Italy is currently experiencing a particularly rich period regarding the development of cultural creative activities based largely on social innovation, both in terms of organization management and relation with territorial development, it is an ideal context in which to explore the emergence of this new model. The paper describes three diverse examples of Platform Spaces based on multi-stakeholder cooperation mechanisms, arts and culture, and the engagement of local communities to not only ensure the accessibility of their activities but also to meet territorial development goals. With this analysis, the paper discusses a new conceptual framework that can be relevant both in theory and in practice, identifying policy recommendations to address territorial development approaches for Platform Spaces.

This paper aims to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the socio-economic structure of cities, and discuss the possible responses of a place-based agenda of urban policies built around the concept of "proximity economy". With this objective, the present work provides an interpretative framework for understanding the impact on urban economy with respect to Milan and Italy, by observing the emergence of the perspective of proximity in the debate to respond to the healthcare crisis due to the current pandemic. On this conceptual basis, the paper suggests measures and gives examples for implementing a proximity-based urban development agenda, concluding with a final framework of policy recommendations relating to the implementation of these policies.

Any discussion of distributed energy systems inevitably centres on how they compare with the large energy systems, i.e. the traditional centralised model of energy production, and on the viability of local energy systems as alternatives in terms of efficiency and sustainability. At present, the debate on local energy systems and distributed energy production hinges mainly on questions of technology and engineering; at most, some reflections on economy are thrown in. What we believe is essential is to cast the net wider and include other dimensions. In particular, we also need to consider in greater depth the organisational and institutional issues involved – until now, less considered and discussed. In this perspective, the main question addressed by the present article is if and how new forms of local organisations can provide the crucial catalyst for a new polycentric distributed energy scenario

According to the early transposition of the EU directives by the Italian government, this paper presents some of the outcomes of the qualitative-led applied research titled Community Energy Map, aimed at identifying the main operational models and organisational frameworks put in place for the development of renewable energy communities (RECs). In this respect, the article discusses a threefold subdivision of organisational models to implement RECs: public lead, pluralist, and community energy builders’ model. Furthermore, the paper illustrates in detail three of the nine case studies dedicated to recently launched RECs, conducted through qualitative fieldworks, to investigate the social and local implications generated by these community-led initiatives. The article stresses the relevance of both the local scale and community-led initiatives in the pathway towards a fair and just energy transition, by discussing how RECs define new organisational models of distributed energy systems.

The community concept has maintained a constant and growing interest in urban studies and many related fields. The origin of this continuing interest seems to derive from the importance of the concept of community within diverse forms of political language and interpretations within different planning practices. In this contribution, through the analysis of different ethical and planning theories, we want to provide an update framework on community action. According to this objective, the argumentation will proceed through a literature review on four ethics theories and three key aspects related to spatial planning, as well as matching this theoretical analysis with exemplifying practices. The final objective is to provide an original analysis on drivers and outcomes of different forms of community, raising general issues that refer to spatial planning, social organization and regulation.