Carracci Casa Comune
In Bologna, Collettivo Franco and the University of Bologna designated Carracci Casa Comune as the ArYE project's informal learning space. It is a collaborative housing experience, currently undergoing a process of formal recognition, that represents a significant example of the challenges related to the right to housing in the urban context of Bologna.
Identifying the need
The process began with the proposal to develop a Participatory Action Research project. Through discussions between the residents of Carracci Casa Comune and the activists of PLAT, the urgent priority that emerged was the creation of a community playground in the building's garden to provide children with a safe, dedicated outdoor play space.
The Participatory Action-Research process
This need gave rise to a process integrating research, education and action, involving the university, the local community, artists, designers and craftspeople. As part of the Master's Degree Programme in Sociology and Social Work, an ethnographic research laboratory on everyday practices, coordinated by Roberta Bartoletti, introduced students to Participatory Action-Research methodologies through fieldwork carried out at Carracci Casa Comune. The research focused on understanding what commoning is and how it is practised and represented.
At the same time, and in collaboration with the University, Collettivo Franco coordinated a participatory co-design process for the playground, using an art-based approach and involving students, residents, activists, designers, and craftspeople. Participation in residents' assemblies and a series of workshops enabled mapping of needs, expectations, and proposals, which formed the basis for the shared design of the garden spaces and furnishings. The final project was collectively discussed and approved by the residents' assembly and subsequently implemented through a self-building workshop, fostering the exchange of skills and knowledge among all participants.
Results and dissemination
The process concluded with the inauguration of the new space, open to the public, in June 2025. Today, the garden of Carracci Casa Comune is a space for meeting, play and social interaction, used for educational activities, community initiatives and collective events. Over time, residents have continued to care for and transform the space, strengthening shared management practices and reinforcing their sense of belonging to the community.
The experience developed within the project also gave rise to two further Participatory Action-Research projects on commoning practices, which resulted in two Master's theses completed by the students involved in the project.
The project outcomes were disseminated through several public and academic events, including a seminar on Participatory Action-Research held at the University of Bologna's Forlì Campus as part of the course Qualitative Social Research Laboratory 2 and Social Intervention within the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Sociology. The seminar provided an opportunity to discuss both the methodologies adopted and the outcomes of the ArYE project.
A further dissemination event was the final event organised by the Italian team on 11 April 2026 at Casa Ruozi, a neighbourhood community centre in Bologna, conceived as a community activation day. The programme included: