Resisting urban neoliberalism through social innovation

Centri sociali have been a common social, political, and spatial phenomenon in Italian cities since the 1970s. Since then, they emerged as active, youth-oriented places of left-wing and radical activism often operating at the margins of the urban fabric and in conflict with local institutions. In addition to political action, Centri Sociali play a social and cultural role in cities as spaces of leisure, social aggregation, and mutual support. This paper investigates how these groups locate themselves in an increasingly neoliberal urban environment by exploring their goals, the role they play in the wider communities, the issues they wish to address, and the strategies they mobilise. After presenting an overview of the concept and history of Italian Centri Sociali, the theoretical concept of urban neoliberalism is used to set the scene in which such groups are currently active and to explain the nature of the issues and challenges they aim to tackle. Further, the actions and strategies used by Centri Sociali are analysed through the lenses of Social Innovation Theory. This paper aims to understand how social innovation is used by Centri Sociali to create alternative urban spaces outside of neoliberal and capitalistic dynamics. It does so by using secondary data retrieved through literature review and through primary data collected via semi-structured interviews with 15 representatives from various Centri Sociali around Italy.