Spazi di apprendimento o strumenti di sussunzione neoliberale? Il caso della Fondazione per l’Innovazione Urbana e il ruolo dei processi partecipativi nella città di Bologna

In his recent essay Istituzione, Italian philosopher Roberto Esposito reflects on the ambiguous etymology of one of the most complex concepts in political philosophy. Esposito highlights the dual meaning of the word ‘institution’: istitutio and istituere. The former refers to a static conception of institutions and their conservative character, which aligns with our common understanding of the term, while the latter denotes continuous transformation, becoming, and movement. Beginning with a critique of destituent processes, Esposito expands his reflection to include the societal relationships, arguing that a new connection between institutions and movements is necessary today. Institutions must learn to embody movements to align with democratization processes, while movements must institutionalize to solidify their transformative actions. This contribution aims to examine governance processes in Bologna, focusing on the role of bottom-up political initiatives and participation as tools of contemporary urban governance. The contribution is divided into three parts. The first one provides a post-political theoretical framework for this exploration. The second one investigates two case studies related to regeneration projects, highlighting the tension between bottom-up initiatives and urban governance. The last one offers a snapshot of the current scenario, addressing the questions that arise from the preceding analysis.