The paperillustrates two different experiences of physical and social renewal developed in some public housing districts in Trieste (Italy) by different institutional actors.
Starting from a brief description of their general issues and working fields, it tries to propose some reflections on the declination of the concept of sustainability they refer to, specifically pointing the attention to the relations between the re-design of collective spaces and local communities’ empowerment processes. Finally it describes the results achieved and their possible integration, which constitutes the main goal of a national research project the Department of Architectural and Town Planning of the University of Trieste is now starting.
