Social innovation for urban liveability. Empirical evidence from the Italian third sector

Large cities are currently at the centre of important growth trajectories, but social polarisation and environmental degradation impair the daily life of many citizens. Social innovation has emerged as a promising approach to tackle the challenge of urban liveability. Nevertheless, our understanding of the processes through which social innovations are developed and managed in critical sectors for large cities is still somewhat limited. This paper has analysed 19 case studies pertaining to third sector organisations operating in large Italian cities to find out how they produce social innovations and enhance urban liveability. The empirical results have revealed that these initiatives address some of previously neglected needs of citizens through flexible mode of service provision and gradual implementation of a bundle of services. In many cases, they include a diverse base of users and involve volunteers. Enhanced accessibility and equity have been shown to be the most pervasive liveability effects.