As especificidades do debate público sobre as grandes infraestruturas. O caso de Génova

The first Italian example of a public debate based on the French model regarding a large infrastructure was held in Genoa in 2009 and focused on a project intended to modify a ring road that encircles the city. This essay analyses the characteristics of such an instrument from the perspective of the Genoa experience: the conflict which was at the origin of the debate, the independence of the commission set to manage it, the organisation of the process and the transparency of information, the mobilisation of the local communities and the confrontation over the issue of representation, the imbalance in citizens’ participation, the discussions on the suitability and features of the project, the nature of the debate (between confrontation and deliberation), and finally its concrete results. The article ends with a discussion of the ambivalence of a “French-style” public debate.