Through the management of social door-keeping project, a “neighbourhood space” has been created where the activities of operators, dwellers and involved associations are integrated. This meeting point for the Barco District has been built, with a joint management between ACER Ferrara, local dwellers and stakeholders. In particular, the leading role of dwellers on these recreational, educative, socialisation, information and aggregative activities, as they have gone through a real participative development process. Therefore, it is possible to break down the function of this space in two phases.

The first phase is the “counter”, which is open three days per week and has carried out the following general activities in support of social and housing cohesion:

- information and listening point, for providing support services to issues related to daily life;

- collection of issues related to housing spaces and facilitation of common solutions for jointly organising the management of common spaces;

- mediation sessions for conflict resolution between dwellers;

- support for requests of maintenance tasks in specific dwellings or in common spaces;

- counselling and support on accessing local services, carrying out bureaucratic procedures related to personal services, public transportation and housing management;

- support to families under proven difficult situations;

- support in the use of new technologies;

- dissemination point of social and recreational activities at the district level.

The second phase has included the birth of new functions for the neighbourhood space, which became more a “process” and “project”: positive dynamics of dwellers’ participation are supported, through a continuous effort for fostering their commitment and proposals. The dwellers could present proposals, that have further been discussed during participative meetings such as workshops, focus groups, world cafés, etc. In particular, the activities that have been implemented out of these meetings are:

- information and educative meetings for each building “contact persons” on the topic of common living;

- support to shared maintenance and development of green areas;

- organisation of information and educative meetings and discussions on different topics related to housing quality and sustainable lifestyles;

- creation of a time bank;

- organisation of social events such as the “barter festival”;

- organisation of playful activities and workshops for minors;

- management of a facebook page.