Lost in participation: conflicts and motivations in participatory culture-led regeneration projects

The research explores the frictions and tensions that may arise between stakeholders with conflicting aims in culture-led urban regeneration projects. Using ethnography (particularly deep hanging out), the core part of the paper empirically investigates a participatory operatic project, OperaCamion, developed within a complex governance structure, involving public institutions, a creative team and two opera theatres; adaptation of operas have toured public spaces and, in Palermo, resulted in a co-production with citizens. Through fieldwork, the paper illustrates the tensions resulting from conflicting needs and points out the need for accurate partnership design and an appropriate selection of participants, followed by negotiation and conflict mitigation strategies in order to ensure that all the involved stakeholders gain benefits and derive value from the partnership, and that the culture-led regeneration project is delivered successfully.