Introduction

“Regeneration” has been a topic of study and policy since the advent of industrialisation across the globe. The word has been associated mostly with urban and rural areas, as the capitalist organisation of production and the rise in growth were often accompanied by intensification of disparities between urban and rural regions, the increase in inequality and poverty in the city slums and agricultural areas, the over-exploitation of the natural environment, the marginalisation of disadvantaged groups, and the degradation of the quality of life. These inequalities, resulting from material and non-material forms of deprivation, have been addressed in the literature and have often been related to conceptions and policy measures for so-called renewal and reconstruction with a focus on urban development and spatial planning and reconstruction. However, limited attention has been given to the social and political dimensions of the physical space within which these localities face problems and pursue policies for regeneration. As a result, contextual historical and cultural factors, like power relations and social inequalities, which affect how problems are perceived, what institutional and organisational solutions are sought, and how policies are implemented, were overlooked and this hampered attempts to renewal and development. Social and political participation and cooperation play a crucial role in regeneration by enabling local actors and communities of interest to voice diverse needs and interests, including those of the marginalised and disadvantaged groups, to organise concerted efforts to discuss problems and promote solutions, and to create a public space of deliberative, democratic participation to re-assess values and priorities regarding the means and ends of development and welfare.We feel that our volume takes the argument further by focusing on social regeneration, that is, on the processes of transformation based on inclusion and cooperation that are informed by the goal of improving peoples’ life through participation and deliberation, or by the active involvement of beneficiaries and other communities of interest. This volume addresses specific modalities to achieve social regeneration, by emphasising forms centred on inclusion and cooperation within and across territories, which require appropriate public spaces – organisational, relational, political and physical spaces.